Call it Courage
Table of Contents
Novel Study Title Page for Students................................................................................................... 3
Before Reading............................................................................................................................................ 4
Who was Armstrong Sperry?................................................................................................................. 5
My Character Chart................................................................................................................................... 6
Dictionary Detective! Chapter 1........................................................................................................... 8
Vocabulary Study Chapter 1.................................................................................................................. 9
Understanding the Story Chapter 1.................................................................................................... 10
Chapter Summary Chapter 1................................................................................................................. 11
Dictionary Detective! Chapter 2........................................................................................................... 12
Vocabulary Study Chapter 2.................................................................................................................. 13
Understanding the Story Chapter 2.................................................................................................... 14
Chapter Summary Chapter 2................................................................................................................. 15
Dictionary Detective! Chapter 3........................................................................................................... 16
Vocabulary Study Chapter 3.................................................................................................................. 17
Understanding the Story Chapter 3.................................................................................................... 18
Chapter Summary Chapter 3................................................................................................................. 19
Dictionary Detective! Chapter 4........................................................................................................... 20
Vocabulary Study Chapter 4.................................................................................................................. 21
Understanding the Story Chapter 4.................................................................................................... 22
Chapter Summary Chapter 4................................................................................................................. 23
Dictionary Detective! Chapter 5........................................................................................................... 24
Vocabulary Study Chapter 5.................................................................................................................. 25
Understanding the Story Chapter 5.................................................................................................... 26
Chapter Summary Chapter 5................................................................................................................. 27
Time for a Test!............................................................................................................................................ 28
Reading Log................................................................................................................................................. 30
Answer Key................................................................................................................................................... 31
Common Core State Standards............................................................................................................ 43
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Name:____________________________________________
Date:_________________________________________
Before Reading
Title of Book:
Author of Book:
Have you read anything by this author before? If so, what was it?
Look at the front cover. What hints do you think it gives about the story?
Read the back cover. What do you learn about the story from the back cover?
Based on the front and back covers, do you want to read this book? Why or why not?
Call it Courage
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Name:____________________________________________
Date:_______________________________________________
Dictionary Detective!
Chapter 1
Using a dictionary, find the definitions for the words below.
intervals
Definition:
impending
Definition:
pinnacle
Definition:
nondescript
Definition:
heckling
Definition:
ebbing
Definition:
Call it Courage
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Name:____________________________________________
Date:____________________________________________
Vocabulary Study
Chapter 1
Match Up
Match the words in the left column to their definitions in the right column.
intervals •
• about to happen
impending •
• interrupting someone with verbal abuse
pinnacle •
• the topmost point
nondescript •
• moving away from land
heckling •
• spaces between two or more things
ebbing •
• without any identifying or interesting features
Fill in the Blank
Complete each sentence by filling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.
intervals
impending
pinnacle
nondescript
heckling
ebbing
1. The climbers placed a flag at the _____________________________________ of the mountain.
2. Some rude students were _____________________________________ Jamie during his presentation.
3. When the water has started _____________________________________ we will dig for clams.
4. The man who robbed the bank was so _____________________________________ that witnesses
had a hard time describing him to the police.
5. The street signs are posted along the highway at equal _____________________________________.
6. Kayla went shopping to prepare for the _____________________________________ school year.
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things using the words ‘like’
or ‘as’. As Mafatu pushes the canoe off the shore, he notices that, “the lagoon
was as untroubled as a mirror.” What is this simile comparing?
A Little __________________________________________________________________________
Extra! __________________________________________________________________________
Call it Courage
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Name:____________________________________________
Date:____________________________________________
Understanding the Story
Chapter 1
Multiple Choice
1. What hurts Mafatu the most
at the beginning of the story?
2. What job or chore does
Mafatu have in Chapter 1?
(a) His father’s silence.
(b) His stepmother’s scorn.
(c) His stepbrothers mocking him.
(d) The boys excluding him from their games.
(a) He’s a fisherman.
(b) He makes spears and nets.
(c) He helps the women of the village
with the cooking.
(d) He sells fresh fish at the market.
Short Answer
3. What is notable about Mafatu’s nickname, Stout Heart?
Long Answer
4. Why does Mafatu decide to take a canoe and paddle out to sea at the end of Chapter 1? What
happens and how does it make him feel?
A Little
Extra!
At the end of Chapter 1, Mafatu throws some drinking nuts, his fish spear,
and a paddle into the canoe. Does Mafatu bring enough supplies to survive
at sea? What else would you bring if you were Mafatu?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Call it Courage
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Name:____________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________
Chapter Summary
Chapter 1
1. What is the title of this chapter?
2. What happens in this chapter?
3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?
4. What new words did you learn
in this chapter?
Call it Courage
5. Draw a picture of something you think
represents this chapter.
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Common Core State Standards
This novel study is aligned to the Common Core State Standards (U.S.)
Grade 4
RL4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
RL4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
RL4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the
text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
RL4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to
significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
L4.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade
4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Grade 5
RL5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
RL5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a
story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
RL5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
RL5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language
such as metaphors and similes.
L5.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade
5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Grade 6
RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the
characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and
contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Novel Study
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
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