8th Grade ELA Packet€¦ · 2 She us ed to draw when she had time. Now she draws with a needle and thread, little knotted rosebuds, tulips made of silk thread. Someday she would

8th Grade ELA Packet

Daily Scope of Work: Online Access:

Students should: • Read the daily allotted minutes, jot, and fill out

the reading log. o Choose from reading nonfiction

articles online. (ie. NewsELA) o OR o Read your “just-right” books

• Complete the pages in your packet. Each Day is assigned at the top of the page.

o When reading passages, stop and write gists, annotate the text, and use evidence to support your thinking.

• Try listening to student-friendly podcasts on Spotify or wherever you stream music.

Students login in by using their student email and password.

• https://clever.com/in/kippsocalpublicschools to access AR and Lexia.

• KIPPSoCal.org • https://newsela.com/ • https://www.readworks.org/

Joshua Martinez

Week 1 Day 1: pgs. 51-55Day 2: pgs. 56-57Day 3: pgs. 58-60Day 4: pgs. 61-63Day 5: pgs. 64-65Week 2Day 1: pgs. 66-68Day 2: pgs. 69-71Day 3: pgs. 72-73Day 4: pgs. 74-76Day 5: pgs. 77-79Week 3Day 1: pgs. 80-81Day 2: pgs. 82-84Day 3: pgs. 85-92Day 4: pgs. 85-92Day 5: pgs. 85-92

8th Grade Learning Packet Week 1

Student name:_______________________________________________

Monday / Lunes

Tuesday / Martes

Wednesday / Miercoles Thursday / Jueves

Friday / Viernes

� Complete � Incomplete





Notes:

Notes: Notes: Notes: Notes:

Reading Log / Recordando Leyendo Read 45 minutes with your student every night. Set a phone timer or use a block to time yourselves. Use your reading log books in the yellow envelope. / Lee con su estudiante 45 minutos cada noche. Usa un reloj para tomar tiempo. Use sus libros de registro de lectura en el sobre amarillo.

Title of book / Titulo del libro: Minutes Read / Minutos Leido

Family Signature / Firma familiar

Monday/ Lunes

Tuesday / Martes

Wednesday / Miercoles

Thursday / Jueves

Friday / Viernes


Student name:_______________________________________________

Monday / Lunes

Tuesday / Martes


Friday / Viernes






Notes:





Monday/ Lunes

Tuesday / Martes


Thursday / Jueves

Friday / Viernes


Student name:_______________________________________________

Monday / Lunes

Tuesday / Martes


Friday / Viernes






Notes:





Monday/ Lunes

Tuesday / Martes


Thursday / Jueves

Friday / Viernes

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.51

Key Ideas and Details in LiteratureUnit 2

You are sitting in a darkened theater, waiting for a play to begin. Finally, the lights come on, the curtain rises, and the actors begin speaking their lines. As you watch, the story unfolds. From the details in the action and dialogue, you learn key ideas about the plot. The lighting, scenery, costumes, and makeup also play a role. Each part of the production contributes to the audience’s understanding. When you read a story, play, or poem, you are that text’s audience. You understand key ideas by paying close attention to the author’s descriptions and the characters’ dialogue. Sometimes, you have to “read between the lines” and use the details in the text to figure out information that the author doesn’t tell you directly.

In this unit, you will learn how to understand a literary work by reading closely and using evidence to help you understand what the author doesn’t tell you directly. You will learn to describe how a story’s or play’s plot unfolds and how lines of dialogue or particular events reveal more about the characters, move the action along, or force decisions. You can almost hear the suspenseful music as you wait for the action to start! Let the curtain rise and the show begin!

Before starting this unit, check off the skills you know below. As you complete each lesson, see how many more you can check off!

I know how to:Before

this unitAfter

this unitcite the evidence, or details, that help support inferences about a literary work.explain how dialogue and events in a text help move the plot along and reveal things about the characters.identify the theme or central idea of a text and explain how it relates to the characters, setting, and plot .

summarize a text without giving personal opinions.

Self Check

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.53L6: Citing Evidence to Support Inferences

Part 1: Introduction

Detectives solve mysteries by looking for clues, or evidence. Like a detective, you often have to use evidence to help you figure something out about characters or events in a story.

Text evidence is a piece of information from a text. This information can be used to support an inference that the reader makes. An inference is a logical guess based on details in the text and on what the reader already knows from his or her own experiences.

Look at the picture below of a family moving into their new home. What inference can you make about how the family members feel? What evidence helps you figure this out?

Draw arrows to details showing how the family feels about the move. Then complete the chart to see how to use the evidence to make an inference. Which evidence is the strongest?

Text/Visual Evidence Background Knowledge Inference

• The family members are helping each other carry boxes into the house.

•

• Moving requires a lot of work.

• People are often excited when they move somewhere new.

The entire family is happy to be moving into their new home.

+ =

By combining text evidence with their own knowledge, readers can figure out ideas that are not stated directly. Remember, making an inference is like solving a mystery: You not only need to find clues, but you also need to piece them together in a way that makes sense.

Theme: Home and Family

Citing Evidence to Support Inferences

Lesson 6 CCSS CCSSRL.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Lesson 6Part 2: Modeled Instruction

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L6: Citing Evidence to Support Inferences54

Read the start of a poem about a girl and her mother dusting.

Explore how to answer this question: “What inference can you make about how the speaker feels about the everyday task of dusting?”

Though the speaker does not directly state her feelings about dusting, you can use the clues, or evidence, in the poem to infer what she thinks of this chore and how that motivates her actions.

Look for text evidence that tells how the speaker feels. One piece of evidence is shown in the chart below. Write two more pieces of evidence and use this information to make an inference.

Text Evidence Background Knowledge Inference

• The speaker writes her name in the dust on the furniture.

•

•

• People usually use rags or feather dusters when dusting.

• When people do something every day, they either enjoy it or are bored.

With a partner, discuss which piece of evidence most strongly supports your inference and why.

+ =

Dusting by Julia Alvarez

Each morning I wrote my name on the dusty cabinet, then crossed the dining table in script, scrawled in capitals on the backs of chairs, practicing signatures like scales while Mother followed, squirting linseed from a burping can into a crumpled up flannel.

(continued)

Genre: Lyric Poem

Lesson 6Part 3: Guided Instruction

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L6: Citing Evidence to Support Inferences 55

Show Your Thinking

Continue reading the poem about dusting. Use the Close Reading and the Hint to help you answer the question.

Circle the correct answer.

Which sentence is the strongest piece of evidence that the speaker wants to make her mark on the world?

A The speaker helps her mother dust every morning.

B The speaker scribbles her name in the dust every day.

C The speaker’s name and fingerprints are erased each day.

D The speaker states that she refuses to be “anonymous.”

HintWhich choice best shows that the speaker wants to be important in the world?

Explain why the statement you chose is the strongest piece of evidence.

With a partner, discuss what you can infer about the speaker’s relationship with her mother. What do their actions suggest about how well they understand each other? Use evidence for support.

She erased my fingerprints from the bookshelf and the rocker polished mirrors on the desk scribbled with my alphabets. My name was swallowed in the towel with which she jeweled the tabletops. The grain surfaced in the oak and the pine grew luminous. But I refused with every mark to be like her, anonymous.

What can you infer about the speaker based on what she does each morning? Find and underline at least two pieces of evidence to support this inference.

Close Reading (continued from page 54)

Lesson 6


Part 4: Guided Practice

As I read the first paragraph, I can infer that the mother has regrets about her life. I’ll look for facts that support this inference as I read and will circle the strongest piece of evidence.

Read this excerpt from a novel. Use the Study Buddy and the Close Reading to guide your reading.

A Smart Cookie

by Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

1 I could’ve been somebody, you know? my mother says and sighs. She has lived in this city her whole life. She can speak two languages. She can sing an opera. She knows how to fix a TV. But she doesn’t know which subway train to take to get downtown. I hold her hand very tight while we wait for the right train to arrive.

2 She used to draw when she had time. Now she draws with a needle and thread, little knotted rosebuds, tulips made of silk thread. Someday she would like to go to the ballet. Someday she would like to see a play. She borrows opera records from the public library and sings with velvety lungs powerful as morning glories.

3 Today while cooking oatmeal she is Madame Butterfly until she sighs and points the wooden spoon at me. I could’ve been somebody, you know? Esperanza, you go to school. Study hard. That Madame Butterfly was a fool. She stirs the oatmeal. Look at my comadres. She means Izaura whose husband left and Yolanda whose husband is dead. Got to take care all your own, she says shaking her head.

4 Then out of nowhere:

5 Shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down. You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains.

6 Yup, she says disgusted, stirring again. I was a smart cookie then.

Is the mother still able to do all the things she loves? Underline at least two pieces of evidence to support your inference.

Close Reading

Genre: Realistic Fiction

In spite of her bad choices, in what ways is the mother intelligent? Draw a box around any words and phrases that support this idea.

Lesson 6



Use the Hints on this page to help you answer the questions.

1 Read the following inference about the mother in “Smart Cookie.”

The mother doesn’t want her daughter to turn out like she did.

Which piece of evidence best supports this inference?

A The mother used to draw, but now draws with a needle and thread.

B The mother tells her daughter to go to school and study hard.

C The mother sings along to music from borrowed opera records.

D The mother admits that she used to be ashamed of her clothes.

2 Which of the following sentences best supports the inference that the mother is trapped in her situation?

A She dreams of going to the ballet and a play someday.

B She sings while she cooks oatmeal for her daughter.

C She doesn’t know which train to take to get downtown.

D She can speak two languages and knows how to fix a TV.

3 Explain why it’s reasonable to think that the mother may really have been a “smart cookie.” Support your inference with at least two pieces of evidence from the text.

A Smart Cookie

by Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

1 I could’ve been somebody, you know? my mother says and sighs. She has lived in this city her whole life. She can speak two languages. She can sing an opera. She knows how to fix a TV. But she doesn’t know which subway train to take to get downtown. I hold her hand very tight while we wait for the right train to arrive.

2 She used to draw when she had time. Now she draws with a needle and thread, little knotted rosebuds, tulips made of silk thread. Someday she would like to go to the ballet. Someday she would like to see a play. She borrows opera records from the public library and sings with velvety lungs powerful as morning glories.

3 Today while cooking oatmeal she is Madame Butterfly until she sighs and points the wooden spoon at me. I could’ve been somebody, you know? Esperanza, you go to school. Study hard. That Madame Butterfly was a fool. She stirs the oatmeal. Look at my comadres. She means Izaura whose husband left and Yolanda whose husband is dead. Got to take care all your own, she says shaking her head.

4 Then out of nowhere:

5 Shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down. You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains.

6 Yup, she says disgusted, stirring again. I was a smart cookie then.

Is the mother still able to do all the things she loves? Underline at least two pieces of evidence to support your inference.

Close Reading

Which choice explains what the mother wants for her daughter?

Hints

Explain why you think the mother refers to herself as a “smart cookie.”

What is something the daughter can do, but the mother can’t?

Lesson 6


Part 5: Common Core Practice

Read the story. Then answer the questions that follow.

from Maud Marthaby Gwendolyn Brooks

Maud Martha is both the title and the heroine of Pulitzer-prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks’ memorable work of fiction. The book is actually a novella composed of vignettes, or sketches, of Maud Martha, her family and friends, and the marriage she enters into as a young woman. Maud grows up in the Chicago of the 1940s. In the story you are about to read, Maud’s family awaits the return of the family patriarch, who has gone to town to apply for a loan so that the family will not have to give up their home. 1 What had been wanted was this always, this always to last, the talking softly on this porch, with the snake plant in the jardiniere in the southwest corner, and the obstinate slip from Aunt Eppie’s magnificent fern at the left of the friendly door. Mama, Maud Martha, and Helen rocked slowly in their rocking chairs, and looked at the late afternoon light on the lawn and at the emphatic iron of the fence and at the poplar tree. These things might soon be theirs no longer. Those shafts and pools of light, the tree, the graceful iron, might soon be viewed possessively by different eyes. 2 Papa was to have gone that noon, during his lunch hour, to the office of the Home Owners’ Loan. If he had not succeeded in getting another extension, they would be leaving this house in which they had lived for more than fourteen years. There was little hope. The Home Owner’s Loan was hard. They sat, making their plans. 3 “We’ll be moving into a nice flat somewhere,” said Mama. “Somewhere on South Park, or Michigan, or in Washington Park Court.” Those flats, as the girls and Mama knew well, were burdens on wages twice the size of Papa’s. This was not mentioned now. 4 “They’re much prettier than this old house,” said Helen. “I have friends I’d just as soon not bring here. And I have other friends that wouldn’t come down this far for anything, unless they were in a taxi.” 5 Yesterday, Maud Martha would have attacked her. Tomorrow she might. Today she said nothing. She merely gazed at a little hopping robin in the tree, her tree, and tried to keep the fronts of her eyes dry. 6 “Well, I do know,” said Mama, turning her hands over and over, “that I’ve been getting tireder and tireder of doing that firing. From October to April, there’s firing to be done.” 7 “But lately we’ve been helping, Harry and I,” said Maud Martha. “And sometimes in March and April, and in October, and even in November, we could build a little fire in the fireplace. Sometimes, the weather was just right for that.” 8 She knew from the way they looked at her, that this had been a mistake. They did not want to cry. 9 But she felt that the little line of white, sometimes ridged with smoked purple, and all that cream-shot saffron would never drift across any western sky except that in back of this house. The rain would drum with as sweet a dullness nowhere but here. The birds on South Park were mechanical birds, no better than the poor caught canaries in those “rich” women’s sun parlors.10 “It’s just going to kill Papa!” burst out Maud Martha. “He loves this house! He lives for this house!”

Lesson 6



11 “He lives for us,” said Helen. “It’s us he loves. He wouldn’t want the house, except for us.”12 “And he’ll have us,” added Mama, “wherever.”13 “You know,” Helen said, “If you want to know the truth, this is a relief. If this hadn’t come up, we would have gone on, just dragged on, hanging out here forever.14 “It might,” allowed Mama, “be an act of God. God may just have reached down and picked up the reins.”15 “Yes,” Maud Martha cracked in, “that’s what you always say—that God knows best.”16 Her mother looked at her quickly, decided the statement was not suspect, looked away.17 Helen saw Papa coming. “There’s Papa,” said Helen.18 They could not tell a thing from the way Papa was walking. It was that same dear, little staccato walk, one shoulder down, then the other, then repeat, and repeat. They watched his progress. He passed the Kennedys’; he passed the vacant lot; he passed Mrs. Blakemore’s. They wanted to hurl themselves over the fence, into the street, and shake the truth out of his collar. He opened the gate and still his stride told them nothing.19 “Hello,” he said.20 Mama got up and followed him through the front door. The girls knew better than to go in too.21 Presently, Mama’s head emerged. Her eyes were lamps turned on.22 “It’s all right,” she exclaimed. “He got it. It’s all over. Everything is all right.”23 The door slammed shut. Mama’s footsteps hurried away.24 “I think,” said Helen, “I think I’ll give a party. I haven’t given a party since I was eleven. I’d like some of my friends to just casually see that we’re homeowners.”

1 Read these sentences from the story.

These things might be theirs no longer. Those shafts and pools of light, the tree, the graceful iron, might soon be viewed possessively by different eyes.

How do these details support the idea that the family wants to keep their home?

A They show that the family regrets that others will enjoy these things instead of them.

B They create a gloomy atmosphere that expresses the family’s sadness.

C They give the impression that the garden is too lovely for anyone to own.

D They warn that other people have tried unsuccessfully to purchase the home.

Answer Form

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

Number Correct 3

Lesson 6



2 When Mama talks about moving into a nice apartment somewhere, she is really just trying to make Helen and Maud Martha feel better about moving. Which sentence from the passage best supports this assertion?

A “These things might soon be theirs no longer.”

B “‘Somewhere on South Park, or Michigan, or in Washington Park Court.’”

C “Those flats, as the girls and Mama knew well, were burdens on wages twice the size of Papa’s.”

D “‘And I have other friends that wouldn’t come down this far for anything, unless they were in a taxi.’”

3 Maud Martha does not believe at all that moving might be a good thing, as Helen and Mama suggest. Which sentence from the passage best supports this inference?

A “‘We’ll be moving into a nice flat somewhere,’ said Mama.”

B “‘I have friends I’d just as soon not bring here.’”

C “She merely gazed at a little hopping robin in the tree, her tree, and tried to keep the fronts of her eyes dry.”

D “She knew from the way they looked at her, that this had been a mistake.”

4 Explain what you can infer about what the house represents to the characters in this story. Use at least two pieces of direct evidence from the story to support your answer.

Go back and see what you can check off on the Self Check on page 51.Self Check

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.61L7: Analyzing Dialogue and Incidents in Stories and Drama


At some point, you’ve probably put a television show on mute. You could still see what was happening on the screen, but you couldn’t hear what the actors were saying. Yet understanding the dialogue, or the conversation between characters, is just as important as watching the events taking place on the screen. Similarly, analyzing the events and dialogue in a story or drama will deepen your understanding of the setting, characters, and plot.

Study these scenes. What does the dialogue tell you about the characters and the situation?

It’s taking me along time to make this scarf.

Maybe youshould ask the catabout that.

Apparently, Whiskers canunwind as fastas I can knit!

Circle any details that give you important information about the characters and events.

Use your observations about the scenes above to fill out the chart below.

Dialogue What This Reveals About the Characters

“It’s taking me a long time to make this scarf.”

“Maybe you should ask the cat about that.”

How This Affects the Story

The man realizes that it’s the cat, not his knitting, that is the problem!

When you talk with people, you probably consider whether their words match their actions. When you read dialogue, look for connections between what characters say and what they do. These connections will give you important clues about the main characters and key events.

Theme: Doers and Dreamers

Analyzing Dialogue and Incidents in Stories and Drama

Lesson 7 CCSS RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L7: Analyzing Dialogue and Incidents in Stories and Drama62

Read this scene from a play about a caveman who has been unfrozen in the twenty-first century.

Explore how to answer this question: “What does the dialogue reveal about Tor?”

In a play, information about characters is communicated primarily through dialogue. By paying attention to what Tor and the other characters say, you can gather information about his character.

Read the dialogue in the chart below. How does each line of dialogue provide clues about Tor?

Dialogue What This Reveals about Tor

“So, this is the famous caveman, eh?”

“You know he’s not a caveman, Brett.”

“O-liv-ya teach me your words. We find eat now, yes?”

“Hey, buddy . . . First time out of the lab?”

Share your completed chart with a partner. Then discuss what you learned about Tor from each line of dialogue.

The Ascent of Man by Daniel Gerrard

1 [Outside the Center for Advanced Science. In the parking lot, DR. OLIVIA QASIM takes the prehistoric man, TOR, to meet her fiancé, BRETT DIXON.]

2 BRETT: So, this is the famous caveman, eh?

3 OLIVIA: You know he’s not a caveman, Brett. [speaking slowly and clearly] Tor, this is Brett. He is my friend.

4 [BRETT offers his hand, and TOR studies it for a moment before grasping it.]

5 BRETT: Hey, buddy! Nice to meet you. First time out of the lab?

6 TOR: Yes. O-liv-ya teach me your words. We find eat now, yes?(continued)

Genre: Play


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L7: Analyzing Dialogue and Incidents in Stories and Drama 63

Show Your Thinking

Continue reading the scene from “The Ascent of Man.” Use the Close Reading and the Hint to help you answer the question.


Which incident in the scene sets up a conflict between Tor and Brett?

A Brett makes fun of the way Tor speaks.

B Brett grabs Tor’s arm and gives him a warning.

C Tor thinks Brett is trying to feed Olivia to an animal.

D Olivia speaks harshly to Brett.

HintWhich event most upsets Tor and changes his behavior?

Look at the answer that you chose. Explain why you felt this incident could affect the plot of the story.

With two classmates, act out the play. Then discuss what each character’s lines reveal about the characters, story, or action.

7 BRETT: Ha! You’re priceless, Mr. Tor! Yes, absolutely, “find eat now.” [to OLIVIA] Madame, your carriage awaits! [He opens a car door with an exaggerated bow.]

8 TOR [pulling OLIVIA away from the car]: Stop! No you feed woman to this—animal!

9 OLIVIA: It’s all right, Tor! This is the car. Do you remember the car from the pictures?

10 TOR [nodding]: Yes. Tor—I know this. Car.

11 BRETT [gripping TOR’S arm]: You’ve got a lot to learn, Tor. Stay out of traffic for a while.

12 OLIVIA: Brett!

Both dialogue and events can move a plot forward. Circle an event in this scene that may lead to a larger problem.


Lesson 7



As I read, I will pay attention to how the dialogue provides clues about the main character and what has happened to him.

Read the story. Use the Study Buddy and Close Reading to guide your reading.

from The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

In this scene from The Time Machine, a group of men meet a scientist who claims to have travelled through time. The men feed the Time Traveller dinner in exchange for the story of his adventures.

1 The Time Traveller came to the place reserved for him without a word. He smiled quietly, in his old way. ‘Where’s my mutton?’ he said. ‘What a treat it is to stick a fork into meat again!’

2 ‘Story!’ cried the Editor.

3 ‘[Forget the s]tory . . .!’ said the Time Traveller. ‘I want something to eat.’

4 ‘One word,’ said I. ‘Have you been time travelling?’

5 ‘Yes,’ said the Time Traveller, with his mouth full, nodding his head.

6 ‘I’d give a shilling a line for a verbatim note,’ said the Editor. . . The Time Traveller devoted his attention to his dinner, and displayed the appetite of a tramp. . . . ‘I suppose I must apologize,’ he said. ‘I was simply starving. I’ve had a most amazing time. . . . I will,’ he went on, ‘tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like . . . I was in my laboratory at four o’clock, and since then . . . I’ve lived eight days . . . such days as no human being ever lived before! I’m nearly worn out, but I shan’t sleep till I’ve told this thing over to you. Then I shall go to bed. But no interruptions! Is it agreed?’

7 ‘Agreed,’ said the Editor, and the rest of us echoed ‘Agreed.’ And with that the Time Traveller began his story as I have set it forth. He sat back in his chair at first, and spoke like a weary man.

What odd statement does the Time Traveller make when he first sits down? Circle it. What questions does that statement raise in your mind?

Close Reading

Genre: Science Fiction

Underline three lines of the Time Traveller’s dialogue that reveal important information about the story he is going to tell.

Lesson 7




1 Which line of dialogue best shows how the Traveller feels about what has happened to him?

A “What a treat it is to stick a fork into meat again!”

B “I’ve lived . . . such days as no human has ever lived before.”

C “’[Forget the s]tory . . .! . . . I want something to eat.’”

D “I’m nearly worn out, but I shan’t sleep until I’ve told this thing over to you.”

2 What shows that the other men are eager to hear the Traveller’s story?

A They refuse to let him finish his dinner.

B They agree to listen with no interruptions.

C They ask for proof that he has been time travelling.

D They agree to return after the Traveller has eaten and slept.

3 Look back at the Time Traveller’s dialogue. Explain what it reveals about him and about what has happened to him. In your response, include at least one of the phrases he uses.

from The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

In this scene from The Time Machine, a group of men meet a scientist who claims to have travelled through time. The men feed the Time Traveller dinner in exchange for the story of his adventures.

1 The Time Traveller came to the place reserved for him without a word. He smiled quietly, in his old way. ‘Where’s my mutton?’ he said. ‘What a treat it is to stick a fork into meat again!’

2 ‘Story!’ cried the Editor.

3 ‘[Forget the s]tory . . .!’ said the Time Traveller. ‘I want something to eat.’

4 ‘One word,’ said I. ‘Have you been time travelling?’

5 ‘Yes,’ said the Time Traveller, with his mouth full, nodding his head.

6 ‘I’d give a shilling a line for a verbatim note,’ said the Editor. . . The Time Traveller devoted his attention to his dinner, and displayed the appetite of a tramp. . . . ‘I suppose I must apologize,’ he said. ‘I was simply starving. I’ve had a most amazing time. . . . I will,’ he went on, ‘tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like . . . I was in my laboratory at four o’clock, and since then . . . I’ve lived eight days . . . such days as no human being ever lived before! I’m nearly worn out, but I shan’t sleep till I’ve told this thing over to you. Then I shall go to bed. But no interruptions! Is it agreed?’

7 ‘Agreed,’ said the Editor, and the rest of us echoed ‘Agreed.’ And with that the Time Traveller began his story as I have set it forth. He sat back in his chair at first, and spoke like a weary man.

What odd statement does the Time Traveller make when he first sits down? Circle it. What questions does that statement raise in your mind?

Close Reading

Find the line of dialogue where the Traveller compares his experiences to those of other people.

Hints

What demand does the Time Traveler make of the men before he will tell his story?

What does each of the lines of dialogue that you underlined reveal about the Traveller’s experiences?

Lesson 7



Read the story and the play. Then answer the questions that follow.

from Don Quixoteby Miguel de Cervantes

1 After Don Quixote and Sancho Panza had ridden for some distance, they came to a vast plain dotted with windmills. 2 “Fortune favors us, dear Sancho,” said Don Quixote, gesturing toward the plain. “She has deemed us worthy to battle and slay these thirty—no, these forty—monstrous giants. Sweeping so evil a breed from the face of the earth is a righteous service.” 3 Sancho peered across the plain. “What giants?” 4 “Those there!” answered his master. “With the long arms.” 5 “Your worship,” said Sancho, “what we see are not giants but windmills. What seem to be their arms are sails turned by the wind.” 6 “It is easy to see,” replied Don Quixote, “that you are not used to adventuring. Those are giants. And if you are afraid, go and hide while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat.” 7 So saying, Don Quixote gave the spur to his steed, heedless of Sancho’s cries that most certainly they were windmills and not giants he was going to attack. Don Quixote, however, was so certain they were giants that he neither heard the cries of Sancho, nor saw, near as he was, what they really were. “Fly not, cowards and vile beings, for a single knight attacks you!” 8 A slight breeze sprang up, and the great sails began to move. “You may have more arms than Briareus,1” exclaimed Don Quixote, “but you have to reckon with me.” And so saying, he charged and fell upon the first mill that stood in front of him. But as he drove in his lance, the wind whirled the sail with enough force to toss horse and rider across the plain. Sancho hurried to him. 9 “Bless me!” Sancho said. “Did I not say they were only windmills?”10 “Hush, friend Sancho,” replied Don Quixote. “I think, and so ’tis true, that the magician who carried off my books has turned these giants into windmills to rob me of the glory of vanquishing them. But in the end his wicked arts will mean little against my good sword.”1 Briareus: from Greek myth; a giant who had 100 arms.

Lesson 7



from The Comical History of Don Quixoteby Thomas d’Urfey

end of ACT I, SCENE I 1 Don Quixote: See you that giant, Sancho? [points offstage] 2 Sancho [confused]: Giant, sire? 3 Don Quixote: That monstrous giant, with arms almost two leagues long! See how he swings ’em about,

and fans himself to cool his head. 4 Sancho: I see no giant, sire. I see a windmill, its sails turning. 5 Don Quixote: Idiot! They may look like sails to you, but I know they are the arms of giants. Go and

hide, if you are afraid. I will enter into cruel and unequal battle with the beasts. [Exit] 6 Sancho: Are you blind? Your brains will be dashed out by the sails! [Exit Sancho . . . curtain falls]beginning of ACT I, SCENE II[Curtain rises upon the interior of an inn. Two friends of Don Quixote, Nicholas and Perez, sit at a table, picking at plates of uneaten food.] 7 Nicholas: Those two mad fools have gone knight erranting.2

8 Perez: It troubles me that a man who had such good sense should be so strangely bewitched by the idea of knight errantry.

9 Nicholas: ’Tis indeed a strange infatuation.10 Perez [brightening]: But I think I have used my time well. While you have been searching for the

whimsical knight, his housekeeper and I have been burning his books.11 Nicholas: I have no doubt that will help cure him. Those tales of knighthood have upended his sense—

but look! Here comes our host.[Enter Vincent, laughing]12 Nicholas: Innkeeper! What makes you so merry this morning?13 Vincent [laughing]: Oh, my ribs! Don Quixote, Don Quixote.14 Perez: Why? What of him?15 Vincent: The mad fool has charged a windmill, swearing it was a giant! The sails spun him about like a

rat in a wheel until, at last, Fortune let him keep the few brains he has left and tossed him into a fish pond. [shaking with laughter] Oh, I shall burst!

2 Erranting: from old French; wandering in search of adventure

Lesson 7



1 How does the dialogue reveal that Sancho respects Don Quixote in the story?

A He tells him the “giants” are windmills.

B He refers to him as “your worship.”

C He tries to convince him not to fight.

D He hurries to him to see if he is hurt.

2 Read this line from the story.

“Fortune favors us, dear Sancho,” said Don Quixote, gesturing toward the plain. “She has deemed us worthy to battle and slay these thirty—no, these forty—monstrous giants. Sweeping so evil a breed from the face of the earth is a righteous service.”

How does seeing the windmills affect Don Quixote’s journey?

A He decides the windmills are a sign that he should find and destroy forty giants.

B He thinks he must visit the windmills to make his fortune.

C The sight motivates him to go out and rid the earth of evil.

D He thinks the windmills are giants that he is meant to do battle with.

3 How do Don Quixote’s actions affect his friends Perez and Nicholas in the play?

A They worry about him and search for ways to help him regain his sanity.

B They think Don Quixote is a fool and encourage others to make fun of him.

C They decide Don Quixote is dangerous and plot how to capture him.

D They agree to ask for the Innkeeper’s advice about how to stop Don Quixote’s foolishness.

4 Describe Sancho’s attitude toward Don Quixote in the story. Describe Vincent’s attitude toward Don Quixote in the play. Use two specific events or pieces of dialogue to support your response.

Answer Form

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

Number Correct 3


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.69L8: Determining Theme


You may read fiction for pleasure or entertainment. But did you know that most stories also provide lessons about life? These lessons are expressed through the themes, or messages, at the heart of what the author writes. Even your childhood stories have themes. For example, the story “Pinocchio” may have taught you the important lesson about honesty.

To identify a theme, connect ideas conveyed through the story’s setting, plot, and characters.

Study the image and caption below. Think about the message being conveyed.

A blind runner and his guide approach the finish line during a paralympic event in Malaysia.

Now, suppose the people in the picture are characters in a story. Consider what they are doing. Circle any details in the picture and caption that suggest a message or life lesson.

Read the chart below to see how analyzing details can help you determine a theme.

Character Details Setting Details Action Details Theme

• one sighted runner, acting as a guide

• one blind runner who wants to be in a race

a track and field event for people with disabilities

the two runners are approaching the finish line

No matter what obstacles they face, people can accomplish amazing things through teamwork.

Whether you read for pleasure, entertainment, or a school assignment, you can learn valuable lessons from stories. Thinking carefully about a story’s characters, setting, and plot—and how they work together—will help you figure out, or infer, the story’s theme.

Theme: Teamwork

Determining ThemeLesson 8 CCSS CCSS

RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot. . . .


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L8: Determining Theme70

Read the beginning of a story about a boy named Holden and his grandfather.

Explore how to answer this question: “What do the details in this part of the story suggest about how people sometimes judge others?”

In most stories, authors do not state a theme directly. To figure out an author’s message, you need to look for key details and see how they develop over the course of the text.

Identify key details about each character’s attitudes and opinions. Then complete the chart below.

Character Comments About Pops Attitude Toward Pops

HoldenSays Pops wouldn’t be interested in games and thinks technology is scary

MomSuggests that Pops might be interested in video games and know something about technology

Seems to feel Pops is more interesting than Holden thinks

With a partner, read aloud and act out the story’s beginning paragraphs. Then take turns explaining a theme, or lesson, that the author may be starting to develop in this part of the story.

Holden and Pops by Evan Gerlachen

“When you’re at your grandfather’s after school, be sure to do something other than sit by yourself playing video games, Holden.”

“I know, Mom, but what else is there to do?” whined Holden, washing cereal bowls.

“Have you ever tried to show him one of your games? At least you’d be doing something together,” Mom suggested.

“Oh, Pops wouldn’t be interested,” Holden shrugged as they headed out to the car. “Plus he’d never catch on—you know how he is about big, scary technology.”

As Holden got out of the car, Mom tried once more. “You know, Pops might surprise you. Keep your options open. You might even ask him about ‘big, scary technology’ some time.” Holden puzzled over her words on the way into school.

(continued)



©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L8: Determining Theme 71

Continue reading about Holden and Pops. Use the Close Reading and the Hint to help you answer the question.


Which statement best expresses the theme of the story?

A Strong family bonds can develop only through shared interests.

B People from different generations have little in common.

C Children should always listen to advice from their parents.

D Assuming things about people may stop us from really knowing them.

HintWhich choice helps explain why Holden’s attitude toward Pops changes?

Show Your Thinking

Look at the answer that you chose. Explain how specific text details helped you choose that answer.

With a partner, list and discuss additional life lessons that this story teaches. Use text details about characters, setting, and plot to support your discussion.

That afternoon, Holden sat hunkered over his video game controller making vintage airplanes swoop across the screen.

“Whatcha doin’, Son?” Pops asked.

“Just a game,” Holden answered distractedly. Then, remembering Mom’s advice, he made himself ask, “Wanna see?”

Pops settled next to Holden and immediately exclaimed, “Say, is that plane a Tomahawk? You know, she can go up to 20,000 feet to evade that enemy fighter.”

Holden pivoted to gape in shock. Pops shrugged and said, “Didn’t I ever tell you about the Tomahawk I flew in ‘41?”

On page 70, Holden doesn’t want to spend time with Pops. On this page, circle words that tell how Holden’s feelings change. Noticing how a character changes can help you understand a story’s theme.


Lesson 8



Being aware of a character’s feelings and how they change may help me figure out the theme of this story. So I’m going to underline words at the beginning and end of the story that reveal Angie’s feelings.

Read the story. Use the Study Buddy and the Close Reading to guide your reading.

One Word of Advice by Charles Mills

1 Angie was worn out preparing for the school career fair, which was her brainchild and her responsibility. She’d spent hours researching companies, contacting executives, and making sure the school had the technological capability to handle state-of-the-art presentations. With three days to go, she whisked into the media center and greeted her friend with, “Karim, I’ve been multitasking like crazy, and I still can’t imagine how I’ll get everything done.”

2 Karim leaned over and said, “Delegate. Plenty of friends have offered their help, and you need to take them up on it.”

3 Angie winced and clutched her clipboard more tightly. Deep down she was certain she was the only person who could get everything right. But Karim grabbed Angie’s clipboard from her and flipped through the pages. “So. What seems most overwhelming to you?”

4 Angie groaned and sighed. Then she responded, “I’m not really sure how to evaluate the server’s capabilities or the sound system’s amplitude, and I don’t know when I’m going to put together the introductory video.”

5 Karim nodded, pulled a few pages out of the stack, and penciled names on each one. Then he handed them to Angie, and said, “I know people. Now delegate.”

6 On the day of the fair, Angie looked as if she were having the time of her life when Karim saw her.

7 “Oh, Karim, did you see Danny’s introductory video? Wasn’t it fantastic? I could never have come up with that myself,” she gushed. Angie realized that she needed to give credit where credit was due.

8 “From now on, call me Angie the Delegator; the best thing I ever did was hand that clipboard to you!”

Like many characters, Angie changes from the beginning to the end of the story. Circle text at the end of the story that reveals how she is different.

Close Reading


Look at the text you’ve underlined and circled. Draw an X next to the point in the story where it’s clear that Angie has changed.

Lesson 8




1 At the beginning of the story, what is Angie’s attitude?

A She is frustrated by the lack of help she gets from her friends.

B She trusts only Karim for reliable help and advice.

C She thinks she’s the only one competent to organize the event.

D She is glad to be part of a team working on a project.

2 Which of the following sentences best describes an important theme about responsibility as described in “One Word of Advice”?

A A strong leader bravely faces all challenges.

B Good leaders trust others to do good work.

C Seeking help is the last resort of a real leader.

D People would rather give advice than lend a hand.

3 Select two pieces of evidence from “One Word of Advice” that support the correct answer to question 2. Check the boxes of your two choices.

“which was her brain child and her responsibility”

“‘I’ve been multitasking like crazy’”

“the only person who could get everything right”

“‘I could never have come up with that myself’”

“‘how to evaluate the server’s capability or the sound system’s amplitude’”

“‘the best thing I ever did was hand that clipboard to you’”

One Word of Advice by Charles Mills

1 Angie was worn out preparing for the school career fair, which was her brainchild and her responsibility. She’d spent hours researching companies, contacting executives, and making sure the school had the technological capability to handle state-of-the-art presentations. With three days to go, she whisked into the media center and greeted her friend with, “Karim, I’ve been multitasking like crazy, and I still can’t imagine how I’ll get everything done.”

2 Karim leaned over and said, “Delegate. Plenty of friends have offered their help, and you need to take them up on it.”

3 Angie winced and clutched her clipboard more tightly. Deep down she was certain she was the only person who could get everything right. But Karim grabbed Angie’s clipboard from her and flipped through the pages. “So. What seems most overwhelming to you?”

4 Angie groaned and sighed. Then she responded, “I’m not really sure how to evaluate the server’s capabilities or the sound system’s amplitude, and I don’t know when I’m going to put together the introductory video.”

5 Karim nodded, pulled a few pages out of the stack, and penciled names on each one. Then he handed them to Angie, and said, “I know people. Now delegate.”

6 On the day of the fair, Angie looked as if she were having the time of her life when Karim saw her.

7 “Oh, Karim, did you see Danny’s introductory video? Wasn’t it fantastic? I could never have come up with that myself,” she gushed. Angie realized that she needed to give credit where credit was due.

8 “From now on, call me Angie the Delegator; the best thing I ever did was hand that clipboard to you!”

Like many characters, Angie changes from the beginning to the end of the story. Circle text at the end of the story that reveals how she is different.

Close Reading

Which sentence matches the author’s description of Angie’s actions and attitudes?

Hints

Which details best support the important theme of the story?

Which sentence describes Angie’s attitude at the end of the story?

Lesson 8




from “The Canoe Breaker”by Margaret Bemister

1 Once in a certain tribe there was a young man who had no name. For it was the law in that tribe that every youth had to do some deed that would give to him his name. This young man had tried in many ways to do something that would make the chief tell him that he was a great warrior. Several times he had tried to kill a bear, but had failed. He had gone forth in battle, hoping to kill some powerful enemy, but no one had fallen under his tomahawk. He had gone on long hunting trips, hoping to bring home the skin of some wild animal, but had always returned empty-handed. So his brave, young heart felt very sad, for the young men of the tribe laughed at him for not having won a name for himself. 2 One summer day, the tribe left their camp on the lake shore and went back among the hills on a hunting trip. After they had gone some distance, the young man left the others and wandered off by himself, hoping that this time he would kill some animal, and so be no longer scorned by his companions. He tramped for many hours through the forest and over the hills, without catching sight of anything. At length, he climbed one hill which was higher than the others, and from here he could see the small creek which flowed through the hills down to the lake. As he was looking at it, he thought he saw some dark objects along the shore of the creek. They seemed about the size of canoes. He scanned the hills anxiously, and at length could see a band of Indians making their way along the trail made by the hunters in the morning. 3 At once the young man knew there was great danger ahead, for these Indians, the Shuswaps, were the enemies of his tribe and now were following their trail, and when they found them, they would kill them. Quickly the young man made his way down the hill, and through the forest to the spot where the hunters had camped for their evening meal. Running up to them, he cried, “Return at once to your lodges. Our enemies are now on our trail. They are in the forest on the other side of this hill. I shall return and delay them while you reach your lodges in safety.” 4 Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and ran back in the direction from which he had come. By short cuts through the hills, he made his way to the creek and found, as he expected, that the Indians had left their canoes tied at its mouth. Seizing his tomahawk, he began to break the canoes, and soon had a hole made in all of them except one. Leaving the creek, he mounted the hill and from there could see the Shuswaps. He began to wave his arms and call wildly to attract their chief. At last they noticed him and began to make their way towards him. The young man was delighted, for now he knew that his tribe could escape in safety, while their enemies were returning towards the creek. Soon the Shuswaps neared the top of the hill, and he knew he must think of some plan to delay them here. Suddenly he dropped to the ground and lay there as though insensible. With a run the Shuswaps gained the summit and surrounded him. He lay face downwards with his arms stretched out. They turned him over on his back and peered into his face. Not a muscle moved; not even his eyelids quivered. Then the chief bent over him and felt his heart. “He [is not dead], he said, “but the Great Spirit has called his spirit to go on a long journey. . . . Let us place his body under the pine-trees, there to await the return of the spirit.”

Lesson 8



5 The Indians lifted the body of the young man, carried it to a clump of pine-trees and laid it down. Then they walked some yards away and held a council. 6 As soon as they were a safe distance away, the young man jumped up. He ran down the hill, and reaching the canoes, jumped into the unbroken one and began to paddle down the creek. 7 The Shuswaps turned and saw him. With fierce cries, they began to race down the hillside, and when they arrived at the spot where they had left their canoes, and saw what had happened, they filled the air with their angry yells. The young man was now out on the lake in the canoe, and they were unable to follow him, as all the other canoes were wrecked. They ran angrily along the lake shore, thinking he would land on their side, but instead, he made his way across the lake to the other side. 8 When the young man reached the shore, he again seized his tomahawk, and this time broke the canoe with which he had saved his life. The defeated Shuswaps, standing on the shore, saw him do this, and again they filled the air with their angry yells. There was nothing for them to do but to return to their camp, while the young man made his way along the lake shore to the village of his tribe. When he reached there, he found that he was no longer a man without a name. His brave deed had won for him the name of Kasamoldin—the canoe breaker—and ever afterwards in his tribe, and to others, he was known by this name.

Answer the questions. Mark your answers to questions 1–3 on the Answer Form to the right.

1 A central theme of this story is that great deeds arise from seeing how to best use our unique strengths and abilities. Which sentence from the story best illustrates this theme?

A “He had gone forth in battle, hoping to kill some powerful enemy, but no one had fallen under his tomahawk.”

B “Seizing his tomahawk, he began to break the canoes, and soon had a hole made in all of them except one.”

C “The Indians lifted the body of the young man, carried it to a clump of pine-trees and laid it down.”

D “There was nothing for them to do but to return to their camp, while the young man made his way along the lake shore to the village of his tribe.”

Answer Form

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

Number Correct 3

Lesson 8



2 In what way does the plot contribute to the theme?

A The young man must decide on a name that reveals his special skills.

B The chief of the Shuswaps appreciates the young man for what he is.

C The young man doesn’t give up until he proves he is a great warrior.

D The young man finally achieves success in a nontraditional way.

3 Which of the young man’s character traits best helps to convey the theme?

A the courage he shows in a dangerous situation

B his physical strength in breaking the canoes

C his determination to earn a name for himself

D his fear when confronted by the Shuswaps

4 Explain how the author develops the theme over the course of “The Canoe Breaker.” In your answer, include at least two details from different parts of the story.


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.77L9: Summarizing Literary Texts


Your best friend missed her favorite show. She knows you watch it, too, and calls asking you to summarize what happened. When you summarize, you briefly retell the main characters, setting, conflict, and important events. To paint as clear a picture as possible, you make sure your summary is objective, or free of your own opinions.

Study these images about a time traveler. Look for details about character, setting, and events.

Littleton

The year is 1906. Artemus sets his time machine for the year 2056 . . .

. . . only to discover that the future isn't what he had hoped it would be.

Now review the graphic organizer below. Notice that it includes only essential details, tells events in the order they happened, and is free of personal opinions.

Setting Important Event

A town at two different time periods

Time traveler from the past hops onto his time machine.

Characters Important Event

Time travelerTime traveler journeys to the future, finds town destroyed.

SummaryA time traveler journeys to the future with a time machine and finds that his town has been destroyed.

Summarizing isn’t just a way for you to describe a story to others. It can also be a tool to help you understand what you’re reading. Stop occasionally to summarize what has happened. Be sure you include only the most important details. This process will help you check your understanding of a text and remember important details.

Theme: Views of Other Worlds

Summarizing Literary TextsLesson 9 CCSS CCSS

RL.8.2 . . . provide an objective summary of the text.


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L9: Summarizing Literary Texts78

Read the first three paragraphs of this science fiction story.

Explore how to answer this question: “How can you best summarize this part of the story?”

Remember that a summary is a brief retelling that includes the main characters, setting, and important events. Underline each of these things in the story above.

Summaries should be objective, or free of opinions and judgments. Read the following summary of the story. Cross out any opinions and personal feelings in the summary.

In the year 2218, the Ulysses sets off on a really dangerous mission to begin the terraforming of planet Spectra 8. They have to deal with some scary problems along the way, but they finally reach the planet. The most interesting part is how pilot Bobby Sullivan brings the ship in for a safe landing.

• “Really dangerous” in the first sentence is an opinion and not a detail from the text. Cross it out.

• The word “scary” in the second sentence is another opinion. Cross it out, too.

• Remove “The most interesting part,” which is a judgment.

Find a partner and work together to improve this part of the summary. Include additional information about the characters, setting, and important events. Also be sure to keep the summary objective by avoiding opinions and judgments, such as “My favorite part was . . .” or “It was great how . . .”

Touchdown on Spectra Omicron 8 by William Nicols

This just in! The UFP Ulysses vessel has touched down on the planet Spectra 8. This signifies the first stage in its terraforming expedition. The complex multi-stage terraforming process will make Spectra’s atmosphere more like that of Earth and livable for humans.

Captain Jane Young and her crew of 21 blasted off in May of 2218 for the 6-year journey through deep space to reach the lifeless planet. They encountered a number of problems along the way. First, they were stuck in the gravitational pull of an anti-matter black hole. They also had to deal with a salmonella outbreak in the ship’s food storage.

In October of this year, the Ulysses established orbit. Lieutenant Bobby Sullivan piloted the vessel toward the planet’s surface. He set the angle-of-entry so the ship would not burn up when passing through the atmosphere. After securing visual confirmation of the landing site, Sullivan deployed the landing gear, applied the thrusters, and brought the ship in for a soft three-point landing.

(continued)



©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.L9: Summarizing Literary Texts 79

Show Your Thinking

Continue reading the science fiction story. Then answer the question that follows.


Which is the best summary for this portion of the text?

A Captain Young explores the planet’s surface and begins building the base camp.

B Captain Young shows she is a strong leader by quickly establishing the base camp.

C The domes in the base camp will be used for farming, geological research, and communications.

D The drill at the center of the camp is made from molten-carbon.

HintAvoid answer choices that include an opinion or unimportant details.

Explain why the other answer choices are not good summaries of the second part of the text.

Take turns briefly summarizing the entire story with a partner, using details about character, setting, and important events. Make sure your summaries are free of opinions and judgments.

Now that the Ulysses has landed, it is time for Young and her team to begin exploring the planet’s surface. Spectra Omicron 8 is little more than loose rocks of red clay. One of Captain Young’s top priorities is establishing the Ulysses base camp with its many domed sections. With so much carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, oxygen corridors must be built to connect the domes, which will be used for farming, geological research, and communications. A molten-carbon drill will then be constructed in the camp’s center to burrow through to the planet’s core, carrying the terraforming unit that will aid in surface reconstruction.

Before you start summarizing, underline the names of important characters as well as clues about the setting. Circle important events.


Lesson 9



As I read, I will pause to summarize who the characters are, where the story is set, and what some of the important events are.

Prime Contact by Justin Greenfield

Imperator’s log, the 36th of Quelnar, 4278

1 Today I had a fascinating meeting with a promising new captain by the name of Allya. The first thing I noticed about her was the remarkable hue of her purple eyes, much more vibrant than the rest of ours.

2 At any rate, she relayed to me how her crew had recently returned from a mission to the third planet from the central star, where they had an encounter with one of the dominant life forms. I inquired as to the extent of the creatures’ technology, and Allya replied that they had advanced machines but preferred to let their servants operate them. These servants live with them—in fact, there are often several servants in each home. They walk about on two legs, prepare food, and feed their four-legged masters.

3 Allya then told me that a member of this alien race had returned with them on their ship. Of course, I asked to see the creature straight away, and when it was brought into my throne room, I was taken with how friendly it appeared, inviting but cautious. Its wide, green eyes were alert and confident, but—dare I say—bored?

4 Since it was a very short and very furry sort of alien, I lay down on the floor to establish better verbal communication with it. I welcomed it to Harlapan, home of the Galactic Confederacy. The creature stretched out its front legs and appeared to bow. I distinctly heard an odd purring sound coming from it. A form of telepathic language it shares with its species, perhaps?

5 “Meow,” it said with great dignity before turning to the task of licking its paws. Fascinating.

In addition to the narrator, who are the main characters in the story? Circle the first mention of each one.

Close Reading

Read the science fiction story. Use the Study Buddy and the Close Reading to guide your reading.


Underline important details that provide clues about where Allya was and the alien they have encountered.

Lesson 9




1 Which of the following would you include in a summary of “Prime Contact”?

A It’s very funny that the Imperator doesn’t realize that the alien is a house cat.

B The Imperator of Harlapan asks to meet the alien that has returned with Allya.

C The alien loses interest in the Imperator and starts licking its paws.

D The Imperator is fascinated by Allya’s remarkable purple eyes.

2 Which is the best summary for the last events of the story?

A Allya travels to the third planet and brings back an alien.

B The people of Harlapan are clearly very advanced.

C The servants the Imperator describes must be humans.

D The alien meows and licks its paws, revealing that it‘s a cat.

3 The notes for a summary need to be arranged correctly into the order in which the events occur in the passage.

Indicate the correct chronological order of the events below by writing the numbers 1 to 8 on the blank before each sentence.

An alien creature boards Allya’s ship.

Captain Allya tells how the servants care for their masters.

The Imperator lies down on the floor.

The Imperator meets with Captain Allya.

Allya and her crew visit another planet.

The Imperator notices the alien’s confidence.

The alien makes a strange purring sound.

The Imperator asks to meet the alien.

Which of the four answer choices is an important statement about the story that does not contain an opinion?

Hints

Omit the choices that are not connected to the ending, or that are unimportant or not objective.

The story tells the events in a certain order. That is not, however, the order in which the events actually happened in time.

Lesson 9




from The War of the Worldsby H. G. Wells

Earth was not prepared for the Martian invasion that began in a field outside of London. Disbelief turned to horror as the Martian forces spread throughout the country, destroying everything in their path. No human weapons were able to stop their deadly attacks and superior technology. Then a sudden and surprising set of events occurred that changed everything. 1 I came upon the wrecked handling-machine halfway to St. John’s Wood station. At first I thought a house had fallen across the road. It was only as I clambered among the ruins that I saw, with a start, this mechanical Samson lying, with its tentacles bent and smashed and twisted, among the ruins it had made. The forepart was shattered. It seemed as if it had driven blindly straight at the house, and had been overwhelmed in its overthrow. It seemed to me then that this might have happened by a handling-machine escaping from the guidance of its Martian. I could not clamber among the ruins to see it, and the twilight was now . . . far advanced. . . . 2 Wondering still more at all that I had seen, I pushed on towards Primrose Hill. Far away, through a gap in the trees, I saw a second Martian, as motionless as the first, standing in the park towards the Zoological Gardens, and silent. A little beyond the ruins about the smashed handling-machine I came upon the red weed1 again, and found the Regent’s Canal, a spongy mass of dark-red vegetation. . . . 3 Great mounds had been heaped about the crest of the hill, making a huge redoubt2 of it—it was the final and largest place the Martians had made—and from behind these heaps there rose a thin smoke against the sky. Against the sky line an eager dog ran and disappeared. The thought that had flashed into my mind grew real, grew credible. I felt no fear, only a wild trembling exultation, as I ran up the hill towards the motionless monster. Out of the hood hung lank shreds of brown, at which the hungry birds pecked and tore. 4 In another moment I had scrambled up the earthen rampart and stood upon its crest, and the interior of the redoubt was below me. A mighty space it was, with gigantic machines here and there within it, huge mounds of material and strange shelter places. And scattered about it, some in their overturned war-machines, some in the now rigid handling-machines, and a dozen of them stark and silent and laid in a row, were the Martians—dead—slain by the putrefactive3 and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as late the red weed was being slain; slain, all after man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put forth upon this earth. 1 red weed: a fictional plant native to Mars2 redoubt: temporary fortification, or wall built as a defense3 putrefactive: rotting, having a foul odor

Lesson 9



5 For so it had come about, as indeed I and many men might have foreseen had not terror and disaster blinded our minds. These germs of disease have taken toll of humanity since life began here. . . . But there are no bacteria on Mars, and directly these invaders arrived, directly they drank and fed, our microscopic allies began to work their overthrow.

1 Which detail from paragraph 1 would be least important to include in a summary of the paragraph?

A On the way to St. John’s Wood station, the narrator finds a demolished handling-machine.

B The machine seems to have collapsed in the middle of destroying a house.

C The narrator believes that the wreckage might be the result of a Martian losing control of the machine.

D Due to the lack of light, the narrator cannot see inside the wreck.

2 Which of the following is not an objective statement of events?

A The narrator notices a second smashed and motionless handling-machine as he continues on his way towards Primrose Hill.

B The aliens probably felt they had nothing to fear from the weak creatures of Earth.

C After seeing smoke behind the Martian redoubt, the narrator has a thought that causes him to run eagerly toward another immobile machine.

D The remains of a Martian’s body are hanging out of the hood of one of the machines.

3 Which statement is the best summary of paragraph 2?

A As the narrator approaches Primrose Hill, he finds more signs of the dying Martians.

B The narrator explores the area around the Zoological Gardens and the Regent’s Canal.

C Curious about the crashed machine, the narrator makes his way toward Primrose Hill.

D Two Martian machines have mysteriously broken down, and the narrator investigates.

Answer Form

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

Number Correct 4

Lesson 9



4 Which statement relating to paragraphs 4 and 5 would be most important to include in a summary of the end of the story?

A The narrator has to stand on the crest of the Martian fortification in order to see the scene in its interior.

B On the other side of the redoubt is a huge space with odd areas of shelter.

C The Martians are conquered by simple disease bacteria to which their bodies are not immune.

D The people of Earth should have recognized the importance of bacteria in defeating the Martians.

5 Write a brief and objective summary of this story. Remember to include the most important events, as well as at least three key details about characters and setting.


©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.85Unit 2 Interim Assessment


Ted’s Championby Sam Hendricks

1 “There just isn’t room for an animal that can’t pull its own weight,” Pops declared, briskly rubbing down the roan mare, a gentle horse that was popular with the local children. “That gray fellow won’t take commands from kids, so what’s the use of feeding him when nobody can ride him?” The little mare nodded her head, snorting gently, her tail flicking at the flies.

2 “He’s a good horse, Olly is,” Ted retorted. “So what if little kids can’t manage him? He’s a good one,” he repeated, leaning over the stall and rubbing Olly’s whiskered muzzle. “Anyway, I’ll pay his keep if you won’t.” Olly nickered softly, pushing his muzzle against his favorite human being’s palm. He smelled of oats and apples, and in his enormous eyes was a glint that Ted had to admit was a trifle mischievous—Olly had sent more than one child scrambling from the paddock.

3 “Well, that would be reasonable, if you had the cash, son,” Pops answered, his expression hovering somewhere between a smile and a frown. “But you’re in school most of the year, and a horse doesn’t eat only in summertime. A horse is a full-time proposition, as you, of all people, ought to comprehend.”

4 At dinner, the debate dragged on, Mom shaking her head while Pops and Ted argued at full volume. When she had heard enough, Mom interrupted, “Teddy, I know you love the horse, and Bob, I realize you can’t afford his upkeep. So what I suggest, Teddy, is that you do some thinking and figure out what you can do about this situation. You might do some chores for the neighbors. Meanwhile, come help me carry this heavy platter over to the sink, and I’ll heat up the pie.” This pronouncement evidently closed the discussion—at least, for the moment.

5 Over the next few weeks, Ted visited every local store in search of work. He was willing to do anything to help out but no one had any work to offer him. He visited a few neighbors and asked if he could do some yardwork or chores for them. He inquired about washing cars and walking dogs, but by the end of the month Ted had no job offers or any way to earn extra money. He was still determined not to give up!

6 Early Saturday morning, just after dawn, Ted saddled Olly and eased him out of the paddock and then across the fields. He cantered for a mile, enjoying the stallion’s confident gait, until they came up beside the Saunders’ orchard. From their abundant acres rose a sweet aroma of ripening apples. As a small child, Ted had been delighted when Mrs. Saunders let him pick a few apples and carry them home in his cap.

7 As if summoned by Ted’s memories, Mrs. Saunders appeared in her orchard, the sun glinting off her braid of pale hair. With long strides, the tall woman made her way through the trees until she was only a few yards from the boy and horse. Now that her husband had passed away she spent a lot of time in the orchard trying to maintain it and collect all of the apples to sell at the farmer’s market in town.

8 “Good morning,” she said, coming closer to Olly and taking his bridle in her hand. “You’re up early. Teddy, isn’t it?” Her eyes were no longer as sharp as they’d been when Teddy was only up to her knee, but as she looked him over, she recognized him without a doubt. “How are things going at the stable?” she inquired.

Unit 1 Interim AssessmentUnit 2 Interim Assessment


Interim Assessment Unit 2

Unit 2 Interim Assessment

9 “Pretty well,” Ted replied. “It seems like people will always pay for riding lessons, even if times aren’t so great.”

1 0 “Your father runs a good stable, that’s why they keep coming. Are you giving riding lessons too? Seems like you’d be old and experienced enough.”

1 1 “On Saturday afternoons, and whenever Pops can’t keep up,” Ted acknowledged. Without knowing it, he was frowning, one hand absently stroking Olly’s coarse mane.

1 2 “You’re on a fine horse there,” Mrs. Saunders observed, drawing a rosy apple from a low hanging branch and offering it to Olly, who pulled back his lips and gently took the treat.

1 3 “He might not be mine much longer!” Ted suddenly blurted out. “But I won’t give him up. No, I won’t do it.”

1 4 “What’s all this about?” the woman asked, leading Olly by the bridle along the grassy path up to the farmhouse. His rider chewed on his lower lip, wondering how much to confide to this old acquaintance.

1 5 So Ted told her the whole story: how he’d offered to maintain his horse, his father’s opposition, and the discouraging news that no one in the immediate vicinity seemed to require an extra hand at chores.

1 6 Mrs. Saunders brought Olly to the paddock and then led Ted into the kitchen, where the clock read just seven a.m. She made them glasses of iced tea and set out a plate of biscuits, then dried her hands on a dishtowel before taking a seat beside Ted. She thought about how tired she was from doing all the work in the orchard herself. Then an idea crossed her mind and she smiled at Ted.

1 7 “You’re an early riser,” Mrs. Saunders commented, “and you seem like a very able boy. Suppose I boarded Olly here? I only have two horses just now, one belonging to my granddaughter Caitlin, and it wouldn’t stretch our budget too much to feed one boarder more. And in return, you could come early mornings, three times a week, say, and help out in the orchard? That seems like an advantageous bargain for both of us, wouldn’t you agree?”

1 8 As Ted galloped back across the fields, he couldn’t stop grinning. If Mrs. Saunders wanted him to harvest every bushel of apples her orchard produced, he wouldn’t mind one bit. It was a great bargain and Ted was proud of himself that he hadn’t given up. Olly ran with the speed and strength of a champion, Ted’s champion, and the boy knew he would never, ever let him go.

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.87Unit 2 Interim Assessment

Answer the questions. Mark your answers to questions 1–5A on the Answer Form to the right.

1 Which sentence from the story best supports the idea that Olly is not useful to Pops?

A “...in his enormous eyes was a glint that Ted had to admit was a trifle mischievous—Olly had sent more than one child scrambling from the paddock.”

B “‘Well, that would be reasonable, if you had the cash, son,’ Pops answered, his expression hovering somewhere between a smile and a frown.”

C “‘But you’re in school most of the year, and a horse can’t only eat in summertime: a horse is a full-time proposition...’”

D “‘He might not be mine much longer!’ Ted suddenly blurted out.”

2 Which of Mom’s actions in paragraph 4 best shows that she is a wise judge?

A She summarizes both sides of the argument.

B She interrupts the argument to make a point.

C She shakes her head while Pops and Ted argue.

D She suggests a way for Ted to earn extra money.

3 Which sentence from the story best supports the idea that Olly truly belongs with Ted?

A “‘That gray fellow won’t take commands from kids so what’s the use of feeding him when nobody can ride him?’”

B “Olly nickered softly, pushing his muzzle against his favorite human being’s palm....”

C “He cantered him for a mile, enjoying the stallion’s confident gait, until they came up beside the Saunders’ orchard.”

D “‘You’re on a fine horse there,’ Mrs. Saunders observed, drawing a rosy apple from a low hanging branch and offering it to Olly. . . .”

Answer Form

1 A B C D

2 A B C D

3 A B C D

4 A B C D

5A A B C D

Number Correct 5





4 What most likely motivates Mrs. Saunders to offer Ted a job?

A She decides that Olly is a fine horse.

B She knows that Ted has a practical father.

C She remembers him visiting the orchard as a small child.

D She believes that Ted will work hard to help her out.

5 Answer Parts A and B below.

Part A

Which of the following best states an important theme about life’s difficulties as described in “Ted’s Champion”?

A Children should always respect their parents’ wishes.

B Persistence is the surest way to overcome any challenge.

C A horse that won’t be ridden becomes a horse without a home.

D You should think twice about wanting what you cannot afford.

Part B

Select three pieces of evidence from “Ted’s Champion” that support the correct answer to Part A.

“‘But you’re in school most of the year, and a horse doesn’t eat only in summertime.’”

“‘So what I suggest, Teddy, is that you do some thinking and figure out what you can do about this situation.”’

“Over the next few weeks, Ted visited every local store in search of work.”

“He inquired about washing cars and walking dogs, but by the end ofthe month Ted had no job offers or any way to earn extra money.”

“As a small child, Ted had been delighted when Mrs. Saunders let him pick a few apples and carry them home in his cap.”

“Mrs. Saunders brought Olly to the paddock and then led Ted into the kitchen, where the clock read just seven a.m.”

“If Mrs. Saunders wanted him to harvest every bushel of apples her orchard produced, he wouldn’t mind one bit.”




6 Which details from the story best support the inference that Mrs. Saunders is a good businesswoman? Use details from the story to support your answer.

7 The notes for a summary need to be arranged correctly into the order in which the events occur in the passage. Indicate the correct chronological order of the events below by writing the numbers 1 to 6 on the blanks before each sentence.

Ted tells Mrs. Saunders about his efforts to keep Olly.

Ted visits local stores looking for work.

Pops tells Ted he wants to get rid of Olly.

Mrs. Saunders offers Ted a job at the apple orchard.

The family debates the issue of keeping Olly.

Ted rides Olly by the orchard early on a Saturday morning.




8 Which incidents in the story help you infer that Ted is determined? Write a paragraph that includes evidence from the text that shows Ted’s determination.




Performance Task—Extended Response

9 In the story, Ted has a problem that he needs to solve. Which events and details in the story reveal Ted’s character? What decision does he finally make? Write an essay of at least three paragraphs, using details from the story to explain your answer.

In your answer, be sure to • explain which events and details reveal Ted’s character • identify Ted’s problem in the story and what decision he makes • use details and events from the story

Check your writing for correct spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.




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