Gerard C. Chapman, M.A.Ed.
9th Grade English
Learning Activity Packet # 1
Timeline:
September 6 – October 14
Objectives:
Teaching Objectives: What I Will Teach
Reading
• Analyze plot structure and the development of time and sequence
• Analyze the use of foreshadowing and flashback
• Make predictions
• Preview Core text, (EOL), and course syllabus
• Analyze plot structure and development of time and sequence
Writing
• Story sequel (Narrative)
• Writing process: prewriting/planning; writing a draft; revising and refining; editing and
proofreading
• Introduction to portfolios
• Create classroom norms
Vocabulary
• Prefixes, Suffixes, Roots (Elements, p. 25, 1083, 1084)
Grammar
• Review Parts of Speech as needed (Elements, pp. 1045-1046)
• Diagnostic Test
PA Standard Statement(s): Best Practices/Picture Window
1.2 A - Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all
academic areas.
1.5 E - Revise writing after rethinking logic of organization and rechecking central idea, content,
paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice.
1.3 A - Read and understand works of literature.
1.3 B - Analyze the relationships between literary elements used by one or more authors in
similar genres including characterization, setting, plot, theme, point of view, tone and style.
1.3 C - Analyze the effectiveness, in terms of literary quality, of the authors use of literary devices.
1.1 G - Demonstrate after reading understanding and interpretation of both fiction and nonfiction.
1.4 A- Write short stories, poems and plays.
1.1 C - Use knowledge of root words and words from literary works to recognize and understand
the meaning of new words during reading.
1.5 F - Edit writing using the conventions of the language.
*Rubric:
1. Proficient completion of 1 Level A project = A - *A total of 5 must be completed.
2. Proficient completion of 2 Level B projects = A - *A total of 10 must be completed.
3. Proficient completion of 3 Level C projects = A - *A total of 15 must be completed.
1.
(Level C):
PRACTICE
Choose a children’s story or a fairy tale that is familiar to you. First, draw a plot
diagram like the one shown here, and add labels describing the key parts of the
story’s plot. Then, use your imagination to write a flashback that could occur in
one part of the story.
Quickwrite – (Level C)
2.) Some of the most exciting narratives pit villain against hero in a lifeor-death struggle. The tension in such stories often depends as much
on the character of the bad guy or gal as on that of the hero. Write a
few sentences describing a villain from a novel, story, or movie. Why
does the character fascinate you?
3.) (Level C)
Before you start this famous adventure story, read its
title again. What do you predict the title might mean? Be sure to
compare your predictions with those of your classmates. (How many
different interpretations did you have for the word game?)
4.) (Level B)
Write 2 correct sentences for the following vocabulary:
Vocabulary Development
receding v. used as adj.: becoming more distant.
disarming adj.: removing or lessening suspicions or fears.
prolonged v. used as adj.: extended.
imprudent adj.: unwise.
surmounted v.: overcame.
unruffled adj.: calm; not disturbed.
invariably adv.: always; without changing.
diverting adj.: entertaining.
impulse n.: sudden desire to do something.
protruding v. used as adj.: sticking out.
5.) (Level C)
Reading Check
Fill out a story map like the one below to review the plot of this famous chase story:
Characters:
Conflict:
What do the characters want, and what problems do they face?
Main events:
1.
2.
3.
[etc.]
Climax:
Resolution:
6.) (Level B)
All responses need to be in complete sentences.
1.Did you predict the meaning of the story’s title? What is the most dangerous game?
2. To hook our curiosity, writers drop clues that foreshadow what is going to happen later in a story.
• What clues at the start of the story foreshadow danger for Rainsford?
• How does Rainsford and Whitney’s discussion about hunting at the start of the story
• foreshadow later developments?
• What details in the physical description of Zaroff foreshadow the truth about his nature?
3. In your opinion, what happens to Zaroff? Do you think Rainsford changes his mind about
hunting by the end of the story? Explain.
4. Compare and contrast the characters of Rainsford and Zaroff. Fill out a Venn diagram
like the one below, listing the characteristics of each man in his circle.
In the shaded area, list the characteristics the two men share.
5. Think back to the villain you described in your Quickwrite. How does Zaroff compare
with that evil character?
Thinking Critically
6. Do the characters in this story make some comments that you have strong
opinions about? Be sure to evaluate Zaroff’s arguments for hunting men
(pages 12–14).
7.Think about Zaroff’s civilized tastes and his favorite game. Do Zaroffs—people
whose refined manners mask their true nature—exist in real life? Explain.
Extending and Evaluating
7.
(Level A) WRITING – 2 pages
The Most Dangerous Game 2: The Sequel
In the morning, Rainsford awakes in Zaroff’s comfortable bed. What happens next?
Write a sequel to Rainsford’s adventure. Does he stay on Ship-Trap Island and turn it
into a theme park? Does he go home with a new taste for danger? Does General
Zaroff manage to come up with yet another surprise? You might let Rainsford tell his
own story, using “I.”
8.) Level B
Prefixes: Important Beginnings
What’s the difference between net and Internet? Just a prefix—a few letters
added to the beginning of a word that can greatly change a word’s meaning.
Knowing what a prefix means can help you define a new word. The chart
below contains a number of common prefixes, some of which you’ll find in
the Word Bank words: Use the prefix chart on page 25 for help.
1.What’s the difference between preceding and receding?
(Hint: The Latin word cedere originally meant “to go.”)
2.How might a disarming smile affect you?
3.What’s the difference between a long discussion and a
prolonged discussion?
4.Give an example of an imprudent choice and a prudent
one.
5.Use the meanings of the prefixes sur– and dis– to explain
the difference between surmounted and dismounted.
6.What happens when a person remains unruffled in a tense
situation? What happens if a person becomes ruffled?
7.If team A invariably loses to team B, what are team A’s
chances of remaining undefeated in a given season?
8.Ann, knowing that the Latin word vertere means “to turn,”
tells Joyce, “If you find that kids’ movie diverting, you are
reverting to childish behavior.” Explain what Ann means.
9.Why might problems result from something you did on an
impulse? If problems did result, would you want to redo or
undo your actions?
10.Why would a protruding branch block the view from your
window?
9. (Level C)
Quickwrite
Have you ever had a special relationship with an animal? Why do people love their
pets so much? Jot down qualities that can make an animal a best friend.
10.) (Level B) – Write 2 correct sentences for the following vocabulary:
Vocabulary Development
desolating v. used as adj.: producing a feeling of loneliness and sadness.
astronomers n.: scientists who study the stars and planets.
stellar adj.: of or like a star.
luminous adj.: shining; glowing.
misanthropic adj.: disliking other human beings.
terrestrial adj.: earthly; of this world.
default n.: failure to do something.
labyrinthine adj.: like a maze; complicated.
11.) (Level A) – 2 pages: After reading the following poem, write a
reflection detailing what the poem means to you, personally, and how it
impacts upon your daily life.
The World Is Not a Pleasant Place to Be
Nikki Giovanni
the world is not a pleasant place
to be without
someone to hold and be held by
a river would stop
5
its flow if only
a stream were there
to receive it
an ocean would never laugh
if clouds weren’t there
10
to kiss her tears
the world is not
a pleasant place to be without
someone
12.) (Level B) Responses should be in complete sentences
Dog Star
Reading Check
1. At what moment in the story does the flashback begin? (What present event
triggers the flashback?) At what moment in the story are we back in present time?
2. Create a time line showing the events of the story in chronological order. Start
with the earliest events in the story at the left end of your time line, and finish at
the right end with the final event.
Thinking Critically
3. Flashbacks can serve several different purposes. For example, they can reveal a
character’s past or explain the cause of an event. What purposes does the flashback
in this story serve?
4. Just before the flashback begins, there is a foreshadowing of what is about to
happen in the present. Find the sentence in the fourth paragraph that foreshadows
what is about to occur. Explain the clue.
5. List the details the narrator tells you about himself. Then, consider his actions.
How would you characterize the narrator?
6.How would you describe Laika’s character? Are there points in the story where she
seems more like a person than a dog? Explain your response.
7. The narrator has a terrible internal conflict to resolve in choosing between Laika
and his career. Does the author suggest that the narrator’s decision was a mistake?
Support your answer with details from the story.
8. At the end of the story, how does the narrator explain what happened in the lunar
observatory? Do you think he really believes his own explanation? Why or why not?
9.What different meanings can you propose for the story’s title?
10. Does this story have something to say about love’s power to conquer even time?
Explain what you think is the story’s major revelation, or theme.
11. What do you think the narrator’s response would be to the message of “The World
Is Not a Pleasant Place to Be” (see the Connection on page 40)? Would you count
a pet as “someone” who can make the world a pleasant place? Check your
Quickwrite notes.
12.In your opinion, would the story have been as effective if the writer had told it in
strict chronological order instead of using a flashback? Explain your response.
13.) (Level A) – 2 pages
WRITING
Blasts from the Past
Often something that we see, hear, or smell—a kite in the sky, a song on the radio,
an apple pie baking in the oven—will trigger a memory, and suddenly we find
ourselves flashing back to the past. Write a short autobiographical narrative
about a past event in your own life. Has something in particular ever sparked your
memory of the event?
14.) (Level B)
PRACTICE 1
Use a dictionary to research the derivation, or origin, of each Word Bank word
(except desolating and labyrinthine). Write the oldest form of the word and the
language from which the word originally derives.
Word Bank
desolating
astronomers
stellar
luminous
misanthropic
terrestrial
default
15.) (Level C)
PRACTICE 2
Labyrinth and labyrinthine, an adjective meaning “like a maze” or “complicated,” can
be used both literally and figuratively (the labyrinth of his mind, for example). List as
many things as you can that could be called labyrinthine—either literally or
figuratively.
16.) (Level A) Write a 2 page summary of the most interesting points on
“Housekeeping on the ISS,” from the following website:
From “Far-out Housekeeping on the ISS” by Ron Koczor from Science@NASA
website, at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast29nov_1.htm. Copyright ©
2000 by NASA. Reproduced by permission of Science@NASA.
17.) (Level C)
PRACTICE
Think of a story that you’ve read in which the setting captured your imagination. Fill
in a chart like the one here to describe the setting and show its role in the story:
SETTING
Title of story:
Where story takes place:
When story takes place:
Details of setting that reveal character:
Details of setting that reveal mood or tone:
18.) (Level C)
Make the Connection
Quickwrite
“A Christmas Memory” is a story about two unlikely friends. The story reveals
something about the nature of friendship and the enduring power of love—even
when, to the rest of the world, the friendship seems odd, and the love is not noticed
at all.
What do friends give each other? Think about your oldest friendship—why do some
friendships last while others don’t? Jot down your ideas on friendship, and save your
notes.
19.) (Level B) – Write 2 correct sentences for the following vocabulary:
Vocabulary Development
inaugurating v.: formally beginning.
exhilarates v.: gladdens; excites.
dilapidated adj.: shabby; falling apart.
paraphernalia n.: equipment; gear.
sacrilegious adj.: disrespectful toward religion.
carnage n.: widespread killing; slaughter.
prosaic adj.: ordinary.
disposition n.: usual
frame of mind;
temperament.
suffuse v.: spread over or through.
noncommittal adj.: not
admitting or committing to
any particular purpose or
point of view.
20.) (Level B) – Responses need to be in complete sentences.
A Christmas Memory
Reading Check
1. What do you know about Buddy? What is his relationship to the old woman he calls “my friend”?
2. Why do Buddy and his friend make fruitcakes each year?
3. What obstacles must they overcome to make their gifts?
4. What does Buddy’s friend discover after flying her kite on their last Christmas Day together?
Thinking Critically
5.How would you describe the character of Buddy’s friend? Consider
• what she says
• the way her face is described
• the things she does and has never done
• Buddy’s description of her as “still a child”
6.Look carefully at the sensory details in Capote’s description of the kitchen at different
points in the story. What mood—or feeling—do these details of setting convey in each scene?
7. Which details in the description of Mr. Haha Jones’s cafe make it seem like a
threatening place? Does the setting accurately reflect Haha Jones’s character?
Explain your answer.
8. As friends, what do Buddy and his cousin give to each other, and what do they get in return?
In your opinion, why does this friendship have a lasting effect on Buddy?
Support your answer with evidence from the story, and check your Quickwrite notes.
9. Explain the reference to kites in the last paragraph. What do kites represent for Buddy?
What does this reference tell you about Buddy’s feelings concerning the death of his friend?
10. In what ways is Buddy’s friend similar to the speaker’s father in “My Father Is a
Simple Man” (see the Connection on page 62)? Do you think Buddy learns
about “greatness” from his friend? Explain.
11. Do you think that Buddy’s friend is a realistic character, or do you think that
people like her don’t exist in real life? Explain your response.
21.) (Level A) – 2 pages
WRITING
There’s No Place Like Home
People’s homes reveal a great deal about their characters. We learn, for example,
that Buddy’s friend “sleeps in a scrap-quilt-covered iron bed painted rose pink,”
which may suggest her simplicity, her desire for beauty, or her own rosy, childlike
personality. Write a description of the home of someone you know. Use sensory
details to make the setting vivid and to create a mood. Be sure to convey the
person’s character through your description of his or her home. If you want to, you
can create your own fictional character and setting.
22.) (Level B)
Vocabulary Resource File
PRACTICE
Begin a vocabulary resource file you can refer to when you’re writing and at a loss
for words. Put each Word Bank word on a separate index card (or create a file on
your computer). As in the example below, include the definition and sample
sentences using the word. When you learn new words, add them to your file.
inaugurating (verb)
Definition: formally beginning
Examples
The principal will be inaugurating a new school policy tomorrow.
The theater will be inaugurating its first season with a performance of Romeo
and Juliet.
Word Bank
inaugurating
exhilarates
dilapidated
paraphernalia
sacrilegious
carnage
prosaic
disposition
suffuse
noncommittal
23.) (Level B)
Verb Tenses: What Time Is It?
The tense of a verb indicates the time of the action or the state of being expressed
by the verb. Different tenses serve different purposes. “A Christmas Memory” is told
in the present tense, although Capote uses the past and future tenses at times.
PRACTICE
1.Choose two paragraphs without dialogue in the story.
Rewrite them in the past tense. How does the change in
tense change the feeling of the story? Why do you think
Capote chose to write in the present tense?
2. Take a sample of your writing, and underline the verbs.
Label each verb tense. Are your tenses consistent?
24.) (Level C) – 1 page
Writing an Autobiographical Narrative
It is human nature to want to share what happens in our lives. Many magazines and
books—like this one—contain stories written by people who want to share their
meaningful life experiences. You can share an experience that is important to you
with others by writing an autobiographical narrative.
Writing Assignment
Write an autobiographical narrative that reveals an experience's significance for you.
25.) (Level C) – 5 minute presentation.
Presenting an Oral Narrative
You have probably already told many true stories aloud, such as what happened
when the family car broke down on vacation or how your team won the baseball
championship. When you tell a story aloud, you are giving an oral narrative.
Speaking Assignment
Adapt an autobiographical
narrative for an oral presentation, and present it to your class.
26.) (Level C)
PRACTICE
Who is the most unforgettable character you’ve ever met in a story? Write a few
sentences about why you find the character so memorable. Before you begin writing,
jot down your ideas on a chart like the one here:
Most memorable
character
Most outstanding
character trait
Character’s appearance
Important statements
Important thoughts
Important actions
Reactions of other
characters
27.) (Level C)
Thank You, M’am
Make the Connection
Quickwrite
There’s a saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In very difficult
circumstances some people do indeed get going. They have a spirit that moves them
ahead—pushing them to do heroic deeds. What makes these people so tough, so
strong in spirit? Why do they turn out to be good? Why do others go so wrong? Jot
down your thoughts about these hard questions.
28.) (Level C) – 1 page: Explain, in detail, what the following poem means
to you:
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
5
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
10
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
15
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
20
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.