Discover The Core
Professional Development, Curriculum Planning and Instructional Tools
ENGLISH
Unit Planning
Exemplar Lessons
SAMPLE
This document is a sample for demonstration purposes only.
Grades 6-8
Discover The Core
Professional Development,
Curriculum Planning and Instructional Tools
Exemplar Lesson Materials
ENGLISH
Grades 6-8
SAMPLE for demonstration purposes only.
Table of Contents
Introduction��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1
Unit Exemplar Introduction���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3
Unit Exemplar Annotated�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4
Weekly Exemplar Introduction���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5
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Weekly Exemplar Annotated������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6
Lesson 1 Exemplar Introduction�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7
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Lesson 1 Exemplar����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9
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Introduction
Welcome to the Grades 6-8 ELA Understanding the Common Core Standards materials. These documents were
developed by Catapult Learning to provide you with support and guidance as you work toward implementing Common
Core standards instruction in your classrooms. The materials included are: an example of a 7th grade Unit Plan map, a
Weekly Plan map, and the first three individual lesson plans a teacher would develop to begin the school year.
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Unit Plan Map
Unit Plan Map
Units of study may vary in length depending on the theme, materials the teacher wants to include and the number
or complexity of the Common Core standards the teacher wants to address. Typically, units of study are addressed
over a four to 8 week block of time. In middle school grades the timeline for instruction may also be impacted by
block scheduling.
The purpose of the unit plan is to:
Unit Plan Map
• Collect a discrete chunk of instruction under the umbrella of a larger theme, and bring the theme to life with an
essential question the teacher can use to engage students in exploring and researching the topic
• Illuminate the connections between the unit’s key concepts and the Common Core State standards
• Define a summative assessment the teacher will use as evidence of learning
The unit theme is the “Big” idea the teacher wants to address. It is closely tied to the essential question. The essential
question demonstrates the importance or benefit of the unit of study. It provides a springboard for intense inquiry and is
not answerable with a yes-no response. It is also a question that should be answerable throughout our lives.
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The standards are taken directly from the CCSS and are especially important to the unit of study. Because of the
holistic nature of the instruction, other standards may also be addressed, but the focus standards are the ones the
unit is designed to support.
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Unit Plan Map
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The key concepts are ideas (and sometimes skills) that students should possess when the unit is completed. They
help teachers “step down” from the standards, to provide a framework for lesson planning.
The summative assessments are planned with specific standards in mind (In this 7th grade Unit, an
argumentative essay has been chosen because it directly relates to one of the major Common Core writing
standards. Also, the ability to write an effective argumentative essay is a key factor in a student’s achievement in
high school and college).
Unit Plan Map
Unit Plan Map
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Unit Plan
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Summative Assessment
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7. Use of sources (relevant and reliable)
6. Grammar, spelling and punctuation
5. Vocabulary usage
4. Basic structure and transitions
3. Conclusion/summarization
2. Body paragraphs that clearly support and refute claims
1. Quality of introduction (i.e., thesis statement, background, problem definition)
Students are scored on the following:
Have students answer the question by assuming a side or position and using unit reading texts,
journal notes, etc. to write an argumentative essay defending their point of view.
“Should the quality of life be defined by the person himself or society in general?”
Code
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the
course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.7.1.,
1.a., 1.e.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances
in word meanings.
L.7.1.
L.7.4.
L.7.5
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,
and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
SL.7.1
W.7.2
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
RI. 7.8
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the
reasons and evidence logically.
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major
sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
RI. 7.5
RL. 7.2
Standard
• Authors can employ a number of rhetorical strategies to
make arguments more persuasive and compelling.
• Even simple words and phrases may have deeper meanings that require further investigation.
• Text genre and structure can help an author express point of view.
Dates of Instruction ___________________________________
• Authors provide evidence in their texts that supports
their thinking.
Title: The Quality of Life
• Standards instruction
should be based on students’
previous knowledge and
organized to move students
from what they know to what
they need to know
• Units should address
one or more standards
from each of the four ELA
categories(Reading,
Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language)
• Not instructed in isolation
• Moves the students from the
known to the unknown
• Demonstrates the student’s ability to think critically
• Authors working in a variety of genres, cultures, and time periods have investigated the idea of what
constitutes a “good” life.
Unit: 1
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What makes life
worth living?
Essential
Question
Grade: 7
• Relates to grade level curricula
Key Concepts
• Developmentally appropriate
• Age appropriate
• Demonstrates the knowledge that was learned and the
student’s ability to apply that knowledge
• Addresses the concepts and skills that are planned to be
taught
• Suggests other good questions
• Requires students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate
• Are Universal Ideas central to the subject
area that need to be learned
Unit Plan
• Supports the standards
Unit Plan
• Is developed during the instructional planning stage
Unit Plan
• Based on the standards chosen for
instruction as well as the unit title and
essential question
• Engages students in real life problem solving
• Has no obvious right answer
• Supports the unit focus
Unit Plan
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Now that the unit theme, the standards and key concepts, the essential question, and the unit summative
assessment have been identified, it is time to begin to “drill down” from those relatively general ideas and be
more specific about what the first week of instruction should cover. Where before, the unit plan contained large
key concepts to be learned, the weekly plan begins to break them down into more discrete content and practice
objectives. This plan is addressing what the teacher wants the student to know and be able to do. For example, the
essential question moves from the very general, “what makes life worth living” to the more specific, “whether it is
better to be dead or totally under the control of others.”
Core vocabulary is extracted for direct instruction based on its relevance to the topic and how it exemplifies tier 2
(high frequency-multiple meaning words) or tier 3 (low frequency-content specific words).
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Suggested activities have been written for the unit, with specific standards and texts in mind. These show how
specific content can be used to help students learn the skills described in the standards. Evidence of learning
activities are intended to demonstrate evidence of student learning and are not all that can be done, but rather
representative of ways the teacher can assess student understandings.
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Weekly Plan Introduction
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Weekly Plan Introduction
In this plan we identify materials that will support the essential question and learning objectives. The materials
selected support the Common Core expectations for text complexity and comparing the way information is
presented in both literary and informational texts as well as media.
Weekly Plan Introduction
Weekly Plan
Weekly Plan Introduction
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Weekly Plan Introduction
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Suggested Materials
Resources
Newspaper article: Weighting the Death Penalty vs. Life
Without Parole (click on link)
http://www.good.is/posts/weighing-the-deathpenalty-vs-life-without-parole
A Visual/Artistic summary of The Bet by Anton
Chekhov (Click on link) http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Fhy10rLe-64
HumaneCaprice
Perception
Capital punishment
ImplicitExplicit
Online version of The Bet by Anton Chekhov
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ ExecutingRehabilitate
MoralCompulsory
Bet.shtml
Vocabulary
• Understand that authors use text structures such as cause and effect, compare and contrast
and analogies to organize their text and present their point of view
• Recognize relevant evidence in texts that support a point of view
Evidence of Learning
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• Have students begin to create a personal dictionary of terms found throughout the texts read.
Discuss the importance of knowing where the word comes from and how knowing the origin of the
word helps with spelling and understanding.
• Introduce the concept of Argument. Through questioning, elicit from students a list of some of the
rhetorical strategies authors use to organize their evidence. After reading each text guide students
to analyze it and try to determine what organizational structure the author used. Following this
activity, have students participate in small group discussions to identify a list of similarities and
differences among the authors’ presentation if information.
• During each of the text readings, have students maintain a T Chart or other graphic organizer in
their journals that identifies the author’s point of view on the topic of capital punishment vs. life
without parole, and the evidence the author provides to support it.
the reader to formulate an argument for their own point of view. Have students write their responses in
their journal and share it with a partner prior to sharing it in a whole group discussion.
• Students maintain a journal containing information gleaned from discussions and readings,
as well as new vocabulary words and concepts learned
• Introduce the unit essential question as well as the question for week 1 and explain that in week
• Student participates in group discussion, using appropriate discussion etiquette
one, students will be reading a short story and a newspaper article, both of which talk about
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tudent uses new vocabulary appropriately in group discussion and writing
quality of life. Use the weekly question to begin a discussion eliciting students’ opinions on capital
•
Student answers questions, makes comparisons, and interprets information demonstrating
punishment vs. life without parole. During this discussion, introduce vocabulary concepts such as
forethought and understanding
argument, capital punishment, moral, perception etc.
• Read The Bet by Anton Chekhov and Weighting the Death Penalty vs. Life Without Parole. Ask students • Student appropriately identifies similarities and differences in the presentation of information
between the texts
what they think the Authors’ purposes were in writing each of the texts and how does reading them help
Suggested Activities
Lake Classics: Great Short Stories from Around the World
(Also available online-see Resources section)
The Bet by Anton Chekhov
• Good literature often raises more questions than it answers in the
minds of its readers
• Define and apply new vocabulary concepts to oral discussions
• That reading various text genres can contribute to developing sound
opinions on critical social topics
Students will be able to...
• Read and discuss a short story and a newspaper article relating to the weekly question
Students will know...
• That authors project a point of view through their writing
Is death preferable to a life
controlled by others?
Dates of Instruction: __________________________
Practice Objectives
Title: The Quality of Life
Content Objectives
Week 1
• Are used as a framework around which instructional activities
should be planned
Weekly Question
Unit 1
• Written in student-friendly language
• Support the formulation of practice objectives
• Describe the student behavior or performance to be achieved
Weekly Plan
• Action statements that support the Content Objectives
Weekly Plan
• Identifies what concepts students should know at the end of
the week
Weekly Plan
• Based on the Common Core Standards
Grade 7
Weekly Plan
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• Used to evaluate student learning
• Demonstrate students’ success in achieving
unit/lesson objectives
• Observable and measurable tasks
• Require students to use critical thinking skills
• Incorporate the use of identified materials and
strategies
• Build on skill/strategy knowledge learned in
prior grade or instructional unit
• Developmentally appropriate
• Provide an instructional framework for
learning content and practice objectives
• Enrichment Resources may provide extra
support for learning instructional concepts
• Contain appropriate text complexity
• Support the Unit Theme
Weekly Plan
Lesson 1
Lesson 1 responds to the Common Core pedagogical shifts # 3, #4 and #6. In shift #3, Staircase of Complexity,
students begin “reading the grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered.” The teacher introduces
the Close Reading strategy which teaches students how to read complex texts. In shift #4, Text-Based Answers,
students participate in rich discussions that contain rigorous evidence based conversations. And in shift #6,
Academic Vocabulary, they begin building new academic vocabulary that will help them comprehend other texts.
Students are also learning and beginning to apply a note taking technique that aids them in collecting evidence
from sources to support their discussions.
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Lesson 1 contains a glossary of terms that define a number of teaching strategies which are referenced within
the lesson. It is important to note that the Common Core does not specify how to teach specific skills that support
competence in the ELA standards. This is because the Common Core is a set of standard outcomes to be achieved.
Many of the best practices in teaching literacy are still appropriate for classroom instruction.
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Lesson Plan Introduction
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Lesson Plan Introduction
The sample lessons model effective instructional design and teaching strategies, and provide a step-by-step model
of the teaching of specific concepts and skills which support Common Core Standards. Since this is lesson 1 of the
first unit, the instruction begins with the reading of the literary text to answer an essential question (this question
remains true to the unit and weekly questions) but this time it focuses specifically on the story. From a “student
interest” point of view The Bet was selected to be the first literary text of the new school year because it quickly
involves the students in literature. Teens love to debate, and they are beginning to think deeply about social issues.
Lesson Plan Introduction
Sample Lessons
Lesson Plan Introduction
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Lesson Plan Introduction
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Lesson Plan Introduction
Lesson Plan Introduction
Lesson Plan Introduction
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Lesson Plan Introduction
Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
Grade 7
Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1
Question of the Day
Materials and Resources
Key Vocabulary
• Student Journals
• Capital punishment
• The Bet by Anton Chekhov
• Immoral
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• Free public domain MP3 or 4b recording • Caprice
of the story for use differentiating
• C ompulsory
instruction
• h ttp://librivox.org/
Lesson Exemplar 1
Based on the story, The Bet, which punishment does the author
propose as worse, the death penalty or life in prison? Why?
• Humane
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Use textual evidence to determine explicit and implicit
meanings (RL.7.1)
Lesson Exemplar 1
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Daily Objectives
• provides struggling readers with the
opportunity to work on comprehension
and critical thinking skills at the
listening level.
• a recording of the story provides a
scaffold for reading.
Define and apply new vocabulary concepts to oral discussions
(L.7.4., 5.)
Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Introduction
• Use the “Contextual Redefinition Strategy” to introduce
lesson topic and vocabulary.
• Due to the complexity of the reading
selection, this lesson would
probably require 2 class periods
(hours) to complete or would work
well in a block period.
• Lead a brief discussion by asking the question,
• The lesson introduction should comprise
approximately 20% of the lesson time.
“Which do you think is better, life imprisonment or death?
• Ask students to explain their opinion and tell why they
believe this.
• This strategy is used prior to
introducing the reading selection
• See coach for a detailed description
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Tell students they will be reading a story whose characters
grapple with this issue.
“The story is titled, The Bet, and it was written by a famous
Russian writer of the time, Anton Chekhov. In this story, two men
make a bet that ends in a fascinating twist.
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• Tell students that because the story they will be reading
in this lesson was written in 1870, we will need to delve
deeply into some of the language and how it varies from
the way we speak today. (E.g., during the vocabulary
activity try to elicit from students that in today’s vernacular,
Caprice is the name of a car, but in earlier times it was
more frequently used and had an entirely different meaning)
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• pre-reading portion of the Close
Reading instructional strategy
• C lose Reading, the introductory
activities are limited
• Students given only enough information
to provide a purpose for reading
(contextualizing the text), introduction
of vocabulary and a brief “selling point”
statement to engage the reader
• In order to set a purpose for reading, ask the question of
the day,
“Based on the story, The Bet, which punishment is worse, the
death penalty or life in prison? Why?”
Lesson Exemplar 1
Tell students that as they read the story they should try to figure
out what the author’s position on capital punishment may be or
what might have been his purpose for writing the story.
Lesson Exemplar 1
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• Direct students to silently read the text selection (for
struggling readers this can be done as a teacher read aloud
or students can listen to a recording—see resources)
Lesson Exemplar 1
Direct Instruction
• This portion of the lesson should
comprise approximately 20% of the
lesson allotment
• Introduce the Three Column Note-Taking Strategy.
Using their journals, students should draw a three column
table similar to the one below:
Quotes
Notes
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Tell students that they are going to learn a new note taking
technique today. This will help them understand the most
important elements of the story and how those elements
provide insight into the author’s message.
• The Three Column Note-Taking Strategy
is part of the Close Reading Strategy
which supports the Common Core
mandate to provide “deep reading”
instructional experiences.
Questions
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• Tell students that in the Quotes column, students should
write down words, phrases or sentences that support the
main idea and help to answer the question of the day along
with literary techniques or other text evidence that helps
the author make his point or paint a picture.
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• In the second column, they should write anything they think
is important about the quote, what it means to them, and/or
how important they think it is.
• In the Question column, they should write any questions
they may have for themselves, the teacher or the author.
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Emphasize to students that the overall purpose of the note
taking activity is to collect textual evidence to support their
understanding of the author’s purpose for writing the story
and also how the author supports his major points or main
ideas in his text. For example, if we assume that the author
wanted to highlight the pro/con arguments regarding the
death penalty, what information in the text proves this.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
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• Using a “Think Aloud” complete a Three Column Note
example for the students, using a quote from the story such
as the example below:
Quotes
“The death penalty
is more moral and
more humane than
imprisonment for life.”
Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Next, model the technique by reading aloud the first part of
the story stopping at “many years?”
Notes
I think that the host
banker means that it
is better to die quickly
than to have nothing to
look forward to.
Questions
But I wonder, do we
have the right to kill
another person?
• Discuss why this quote may be important (e.g., It is a
literary statement of one side of the argument for capital
punishment— It establishes the conflict in the story).
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• Refer back to the question of the day. Ask them how this
quote relates to it.
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• Explain to students that as they read the story they should
keep in mind that the question of the day sets a purpose for
their reading.
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• Also explain that when looking for interesting words or
phrases, look for ones that help determine the author’s
purpose or point of view.
If time allows, repeat the instruction by modeling another word, or phrase
from the first part of the story. Solicit clarifying questions from the group.
Guided Practice
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Ask students for any other interesting or confusing quotes
they find in that section.
• As a group, talk through and complete another Three
Column Note section, this time with selected students
doing the Think Aloud.
Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
• Reemphasize that this activity is intended to help them
think about important elements of the text, record their
personal insights and understandings and to help clarify
confusions regarding the text.
• Guided and Independent Practice
(Student Active Participation) should
comprise approximately 45% of the
lesson time allotment.
Possible words/phrases for discussion:
• Words and phrases were selected
because they support the common
core’s focus on identifying and
interpreting textual evidence
“Clever men”
Lesson Exemplar 1
“a priori”
“Unsuitable for Christian states”
“Capital punishment kills a man at once, but lifelong
imprisonment kills him slowly.”
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Independent Practice
• Direct students to read the remaining story silently and use
the Three Column Notes technique to record information in
their journals (suggest labeling their notes with the story
title and date).
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• Divide students into pairs.
• Ask each pair to select three questions from the list below
and discuss them, using their notes to explain and defend
their positions. (Consider pairing struggling students with
stronger students who can provide extra support during
this activity. Work directly with 2-3 of the most challenged
students during independent practice).
Lesson Exemplar 1
• At the conclusion of the independent practice, conduct a
whole class discussion.
1. F irst, review the following discussion questions listed below.
2. Remind students to refer to their notes and the text
itself to support their responses.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
4. Depending on student responses, redirect, probe
and respond
Ask individuals to volunteer any ideas they may want to share or any
questions they may have noted regarding the story.
Questions—Tell students to refer to the text to provide support to their
answers (e.g., Along with your answer tell what other words, phrases, or
sentences helped you to interpret the author’s meaning?)
Do you agree that “to live anyhow is better than not at all?” Why?
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What does the author mean by “The State is not God?” How
might this help us understand how the courts of the times
viewed capital punishment?
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How does the author let the reader know that the phrase
a priori means knowledge that you have that is independent
of your experience?
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Lesson Exemplar 1
3. Students should also be permitted to add to or modify
their existing notes during this portion of the lesson if
they desire.
• Questions intended to stimulate
critical thinking.
• Designed to develop students’
abilities to analyze, synthesize,
evaluate and judge
• Teachers should note how effectively
the students are using the text to
support their responses
How are “classics” different from books of “light character?”
In the second half of the sixth year of his imprisonment, the
lawyer “began zealously studying languages, philosophy and
history.” Why did he do that?
Lesson Exemplar 1
The lawyer writes, “The geniuses of all ages and of all lands speak
different languages but the same flame burns in them all.” What do
you think he means? Does the author provide hints to the meaning?
The lawyer once thought that 2 million dollars was paradise but
now he despises it. Why?
How has the lawyer’s beliefs changed from the beginning of the story?
Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
• For the last independent practice activity, ask students to
turn to a fresh page in their journals and write the question
of the day.
• Direct them to write a paragraph answering the
question. Remind them to make references to the text to
support their answers.
Closure
Do formative closure activities such as Exit Slips or a 3-2-1 Summary.
• Ask students to make an oral summary statement of the story
• Identify two moral issues that arise from the debate on
capital punishment
• Teacher should identify what students
have learned, revisit the process they
used to learn, and identify what they
want more information about.
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• Ask if reading the story has changed or affected their
opinions on the topic and if so, how?
• In what ways might they research more about this topic
Lesson Exemplar 1
• Closure activity should comprise about
15% of the lesson time.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Glossary
Contextual Redefinition Strategy — Contextual Redefinition offers students
specific steps for deducing the meaning of unknown (or unclear) words in a
reading passage by seeking clues from their context in a larger text selection.
This strategy encourages students . . .
• To focus on what is clear and obvious in a reading selection,
Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
• To state, as much as is possible, the author’s general
intent/meaning in a passage, and
• To use these observations to help interpret unclear terms
and ideas within the known context.
Additionally, Contextual Redefinition calls for close attention to word order,
syntax, parallel ideas, and examples as keys for predicting word meaning
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Three Column Note-Taking Strategy – The Three Column Note-Taking
Strategy that supports Close Reading is adapted from the Cornell Note-Taking
System, a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes. This system
helps to increase understanding of the topic. Three column Note-Taking helps
students to organize information, increases their comprehension and speeds
their learning.
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Think Aloud Strategy – A form of explicit modeling in which teachers give
an oral description of the cognitive processes they go through as they read
with their students, so that students can understand how a successful reader
approaches a text.
Lesson Exemplar 1
Redirect-Probe-Prompt-Respond
Redirect – is a technique where the teacher asks several students to answer
a question. It is a way of building broad participation and it helps to correct
and clarify interpretations and ideas.
Probe – If a student’s reply is correct but lacks depth, the teacher asks
students to supply additional information in order to have better, more
inclusive answers. Probing questions force the student to think more
thoroughly about his initial response
Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Prompt – prompting helps students by giving them hints and clues to deal
with incorrect responses.
Respond – There are many good ways to respond to students’ answers.
Teachers can confirm or encourage, provide feedback, challenge and engage,
and involve other students
Lesson Exemplar 1
Fist to Five – formative assessment used during student response and closure
portions of the lesson (5 Fingers- Strongly agree- I would do the same; 4
Fingers- Agree with the choice; 3 Fingers- Don’t think it is the best option, but
it is reasonable; 2 Fingers- Disagree; 1 Finger- strongly disagree).
Exit Slips – Slips of paper students use to respond to a prompt posed to the
class, which is related to the day’s lesson or information learned.
3-2-1-Summary – The 3-2-1 Summary is used at the end of class to
summarize a particular topic. Students are asked to write down: 3 most
important things learned, 2 questions that still need to be answered, and 1
way their learning connects to what they knew before.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
Anton Chekhov
The Bet
It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen
years before, he had given a party one autumn evening. There had been many clever men there, and there had been
interesting conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment. The majority of the guests,
among whom were many journalists and intellectual men, disapproved of the death penalty. They considered that
form of punishment out of date, immoral, and unsuitable for Christian States. In the opinion of some of them the
death penalty ought to be replaced everywhere by imprisonment for life. “I don’t agree with you,” said their host the
banker. “I have not tried either the death penalty or imprisonment for life, but if one may judge a priori, the death
penalty is more moral and more humane than imprisonment for life. Capital punishment kills a man at once, but
lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or
he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years?”
“Both are equally immoral,” observed one of the guests, “for they both have the same object - to take away life.
The State is not God. It has not the right to take away what it cannot restore when it wants to.”
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Among the guests was a young lawyer, a young man of five-and-twenty. When he was asked his opinion, he
said:
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
“The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral, but if I had to choose between the death
penalty and imprisonment for life, I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.”
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A lively discussion arose. The banker, who was younger and more nervous in those days, was suddenly carried
away by excitement; he struck the table with his fist and shouted at the young man:
“It’s not true! I’ll bet you two million you wouldn’t stay in solitary confinement for five years.”
“If you mean that in earnest,” said the young man, “I’ll take the bet, but I would stay not five but fifteen years.”
“Fifteen? Done!” cried the banker. “Gentlemen, I stake two million!”
“Agreed! You stake your millions and I stake my freedom!” said the young man.
And this wild, senseless bet was carried out! The banker, spoilt and frivolous, with millions beyond his
reckoning, was delighted at the bet. At supper he made fun of the young man, and said:
“Think better of it, young man, while there is still time. To me two million is a trifle, but you are losing three or
four of the best years of your life. I say three or four, because you won’t stay longer. Don’t forget either, you unhappy
man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to bear than compulsory. The thought that you have the right
to step out in liberty at any moment will poison your whole existence in prison. I am sorry for you.”
Lesson Exemplar 1
And now the banker, walking to and fro, remembered all this, and asked himself: “What was the object of that
bet? What is the good of that man’s losing fifteen years of his life and my throwing away two million? Can it prove
that the death penalty is better or worse than imprisonment for life? No, no. It was all nonsensical and meaningless.
On my part it was the caprice of a pampered man, and on his part simple greed for money ...”
Then he remembered what followed that evening. It was decided that the young man should spend the years of
his captivity under the strictest supervision in one of the lodges in the banker’s garden. It was agreed that for fifteen
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In the second year the piano was silent in the lodge, and the prisoner asked only for the classics. In the fifth
year music was audible again, and the prisoner asked for wine. Those who watched him through the window said
that all that year he spent doing nothing but eating and drinking and lying on his bed, frequently yawning and
angrily talking to himself. He did not read books. Sometimes at night he would sit down to write; he would spend
hours writing, and in the morning tear up all that he had written. More than once he could be heard crying.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
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In the second half of the sixth year the prisoner began zealously studying languages, philosophy, and history.
He threw himself eagerly into these studies - so much so that the banker had enough to do to get him the books
he ordered. In the course of four years some six hundred volumes were procured at his request. It was during this
period that the banker received the following letter from his prisoner:
Then after the tenth year, the prisoner sat immovably at the table and read nothing but the Gospel. It seemed
strange to the banker that a man who in four years had mastered six hundred learned volumes should waste nearly
a year over one thin book easy of comprehension. Theology and histories of religion followed the Gospels.
The old banker remembered all this, and thought:
“To-morrow at twelve o’clock he will regain his freedom. By our agreement I ought to pay him two million. If I
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Lesson Exemplar 1
In the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an immense quantity of books quite indiscriminately.
At one time he was busy with the natural sciences, then he would ask for Byron or Shakespeare. There were notes
in which he demanded at the same time books on chemistry, and a manual of medicine, and a novel, and some
treatise on philosophy or theology. His reading suggested a man swimming in the sea among the wreckage of his
ship, and trying to save his life by greedily clutching first at one spar and then at another.
Lesson Exemplar 1
“My dear Jailer, I write you these lines in six languages. Show them to people who know the languages. Let
them read them. If they find not one mistake I implore you to fire a shot in the garden. That shot will show me that
my efforts have not been thrown away. The geniuses of all ages and of all lands speak different languages, but the
same flame burns in them all. Oh, if you only knew what unearthly happiness my soul feels now from being able to
understand them!” The prisoner’s desire was fulfilled. The banker ordered two shots to be fired in the garden.
Lesson Exemplar 1
For the first year of his confinement, as far as one could judge from his brief notes, the prisoner suffered
severely from loneliness and depression. The sounds of the piano could be heard continually day and night from
his lodge. He refused wine and tobacco. Wine, he wrote, excites the desires, and desires are the worst foes of
the prisoner; and besides, nothing could be more dreary than drinking good wine and seeing no one. And tobacco
spoilt the air of his room. In the first year the books he sent for were principally of a light character; novels with a
complicated love plot, sensational and fantastic stories, and so on.
Lesson Exemplar 1
years he should not be free to cross the threshold of the lodge, to see human beings, to hear the human voice, or to
receive letters and newspapers. He was allowed to have a musical instrument and books, and was allowed to write
letters, to drink wine, and to smoke. By the terms of the agreement, the only relations he could have with the outer
world were by a little window made purposely for that object. He might have anything he wanted - books, music,
wine, and so on - in any quantity he desired by writing an order, but could only receive them through the window.
The agreement provided for every detail and every trifle that would make his imprisonment strictly solitary, and
bound the young man to stay there exactly fifteen years, beginning from twelve o’clock of November 14, 1870, and
ending at twelve o’clock of November 14, 1885. The slightest attempt on his part to break the conditions, if only two
minutes before the end, released the banker from the obligation to pay him the two million.
Lesson Exemplar 1
Fifteen years before, his millions had been beyond his reckoning; now he was afraid to ask himself which were
greater, his debts or his assets. Desperate gambling on the Stock Exchange, wild speculation and the excitability
which he could not get over even in advancing years, had by degrees led to the decline of his fortune and the proud,
fearless, self-confident millionaire had become a banker of middling rank, trembling at every rise and fall in his
investments. “Cursed bet!” muttered the old man, clutching his head in despair “Why didn’t the man die? He is only
forty now. He will take my last penny from me, he will marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the Exchange; while I
shall look at him with envy like a beggar, and hear from him every day the same sentence: ‘I am indebted to you for
the happiness of my life, let me help you!’ No, it is too much! The one means of being saved from bankruptcy and
disgrace is the death of that man!”
Lesson Exemplar 1
do pay him, it is all over with me: I shall be utterly ruined.”
It struck three o’clock, the banker listened; everyone was asleep in the house and nothing could be heard
outside but the rustling of the chilled trees. Trying to make no noise, he took from a fireproof safe the key of the
door which had not been opened for fifteen years, put on his overcoat, and went out of the house.
Lesson Exemplar 1
Lesson Exemplar 1
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It was dark and cold in the garden. Rain was falling. A damp cutting wind was racing about the garden, howling
and giving the trees no rest. The banker strained his eyes, but could see neither the earth nor the white statues,
nor the lodge, nor the trees. Going to the spot where the lodge stood, he twice called the watchman. No answer
followed. Evidently the watchman had sought shelter from the weather, and was now asleep somewhere either in
the kitchen or in the greenhouse.
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“If I had the pluck to carry out my intention,” thought the old man, “Suspicion would fall first upon the watchman.”
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He felt in the darkness for the steps and the door, and went into the entry of the lodge. Then he groped his way
into a little passage and lighted a match. There was not a soul there. There was a bedstead with no bedding on it, and
in the corner there was a dark cast-iron stove. The seals on the door leading to the prisoner’s rooms were intact.
When the match went out the old man, trembling with emotion, peeped through the little window. A candle was
burning dimly in the prisoner’s room. He was sitting at the table. Nothing could be seen but his back, the hair on his
head, and his hands. Open books were lying on the table, on the two easy-chairs, and on the carpet near the table.
Five minutes passed and the prisoner did not once stir. Fifteen years’ imprisonment had taught him to sit still.
The banker tapped at the window with his finger, and the prisoner made no movement whatever in response. Then
the banker cautiously broke the seals off the door and put the key in the keyhole. The rusty lock gave a grating
sound and the door creaked. The banker expected to hear at once footsteps and a cry of astonishment, but three
minutes passed and it was as quiet as ever in the room. He made up his mind to go in.
At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless. He was a skeleton with the skin drawn tight
over his bones, with long curls like a woman’s and a shaggy beard. His face was yellow with an earthy tint in it, his
cheeks were hollow, his back long and narrow, and the hand on which his shaggy head was propped was so thin
and delicate that it was dreadful to look at it. His hair was already streaked with silver, and seeing his emaciated,
aged-looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty. He was asleep ... In front of his bowed head
there lay on the table a sheet of paper on which there was something written in fine handwriting.
“Poor creature!” thought the banker, “he is asleep and most likely dreaming of the millions. And I have only to
take this half-dead man, throw him on the bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert
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The banker took the page from the table and read as follows:
“To-morrow at twelve o’clock I regain my freedom and the right to associate with other men, but before I leave
this room and see the sunshine, I think it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience I tell you,
as before God, who beholds me, that I despise freedom and life and health, and all that in your books is called the
good things of the world.
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“And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory,
and deceptive, like a mirage. You may be proud, wise, and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth
as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal
geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe.
“To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two million of which I once dreamed
as of paradise and which now I despise. To deprive myself of the right to the money I shall go out from here five
hours before the time fixed, and so break the compact ...”
When the banker had read this he laid the page on the table, kissed the strange man on the head, and went out
of the lodge, weeping. At no other time, even when he had lost heavily on the Stock Exchange, had he felt so great a
contempt for himself. When he got home he lay on his bed, but his tears and emotion kept him for hours from sleeping.
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Lesson Exemplar 1
Next morning the watchmen ran in with pale faces, and told him they had seen the man who lived in the lodge
climb out of the window into the garden, go to the gate, and disappear. The banker went at once with the servants
to the lodge and made sure of the flight of his prisoner. To avoid arousing unnecessary talk, he took from the table
the writing in which the millions were renounced, and when he got home locked it up in the fireproof safe.
Lesson Exemplar 1
“You have lost your reason and taken the wrong path. You have taken lies for truth, and hideousness for beauty.
You would marvel if, owing to strange events of some sorts, frogs and lizards suddenly grew on apple and orange
trees instead of fruit, or if roses began to smell like a sweating horse; so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for
earth. I don’t want to understand you.
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“Your books have given me wisdom. All that the unresting thought of man has created in the ages is
compressed into a small compass in my brain. I know that I am wiser than all of you.
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“For fifteen years I have been intently studying earthly life. It is true I have not seen the earth nor men, but in
your books I have drunk fragrant wine, I have sung songs, I have hunted stags and wild boars in the forests, have
loved women ... Beauties as ethereal as clouds, created by the magic of your poets and geniuses, have visited me at
night, and have whispered in my ears wonderful tales that have set my brain in a whirl. In your books I have climbed
to the peaks of Elburz and Mont Blanc, and from there I have seen the sun rise and have watched it at evening flood
the sky, the ocean, and the mountain-tops with gold and crimson. I have watched from there the lightning flashing
over my head and cleaving the storm-clouds. I have seen green forests, fields, rivers, lakes, towns. I have heard the
singing of the sirens, and the strains of the shepherds’ pipes; I have touched the wings of comely devils who flew
down to converse with me of God ... In your books I have flung myself into the bottomless pit, performed miracles,
slain, burned towns, preached new religions, conquered whole kingdoms ...
Lesson Exemplar 1
would find no sign of a violent death. But let us first read what he has written here ... “
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SAMPLE English Teacher Resource Guide
©2012 Catapult Learning
This document is a sample for
demonstration purposes only.
This document is a sample for
demonstration purposes only.
www.catapultlearning.com
©2012 Catapult Learning. All rights.
CL12180CS