SpringBoard

English Language Arts

Grade

inspiring minds
TM
ABOUT THE COLLEGE BOARD
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college
success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to
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Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful
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ISBN: 1-4573-0218-7
ISBN: 978-1-4573-0218-3

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ii SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The College Board gratefully acknowledges the outstanding work of the classroom teachers and
writers who have been integral to the development of this revised program. The end product is
testimony to their expertise, understanding of student learning needs, and dedication to rigorous
and accessible English Language Arts instruction.

Pat Bishop Julie Manley

Writing Coach (Retired) English Teacher
Hillsborough Schools Bellevue School District 405
Tampa, Florida Bellevue, Washington

Susie Challancin Le’Andra Myers

English Teacher English Teacher
Bellevue School District 405 Pasco School District
Bellevue, Washington Pasco, Washington

Bryant Crisp Stephanie Sharpe

English Teacher English Teacher
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Hillsborough Schools
Charlotte, North Carolina Tampa, Florida

Paul DeMaret Susan Van Doren

English Teacher English Teacher
Poudre School District Douglas County School District
Fort Collins, Colorado Minden, Nevada

Michelle Lewis
Curriculum Coordinator
Spokane Public Schools
Spokane, Washington

SPRINGBOARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS DEVELOPMENT

Betty Barnett Doug Waugh
Executive Director Senior Director
Content Development Product Management

Joely Negedly Nina Wooldridge

Instructional Specialist Senior Director
Professional Development
JoEllen Victoreen
Senior Instructional Specialist

Acknowledgments iii
RESEARCH AND PLANNING ADVISORS
We also wish to thank the members of our SpringBoard Advisory Council and the many
educators who gave generously of their time and their ideas as we conducted research
for both the print and online programs. Your suggestions and reactions to ideas helped
immeasurably as we planned the revisions. We gratefully acknowledge the teachers and
administrators in the following districts.

ABC Unified Hobbs Municipal Schools Quakertown Community School

Cerritos, California Hobbs, New Mexico District
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Albuquerque Public Schools Houston Independent School District
Albuquerque, New Mexico Houston, Texas Rio Rancho Public Schools
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Amarillo School District Irving Independent School District
Amarillo, Texas Irving, Texas Ronan School District
Ronan, Montana
Bellevue School District 405 Kenton County School District
Bellevue, Washington Fort Wright, Kentucky St. Vrain School District
Longmont, Colorado
Broward County Public Schools Lee County Public Schools
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Fort Myers, Florida Scottsdale Public Schools
Phoenix, Arizona
Clark County School District Newton County Schools
Las Vegas, Nevada Covington, Georgia Seminole County Public Schools
Sanford, Florida
District School Board of Collier Noblesville Schools
County Noblesville, Indiana Southwest ISD
Collier County, Florida San Antonio, Texas
Oakland Unified School District
Denver Public Schools Oakland, California Spokane Public Schools
Denver, Colorado Spokane, Washington
Orange County Public Schools
Frisco ISD Orlando, Florida Spring ISD
Frisco, Texas Houston, Texas
School District of Palm Beach County
Garland ISD Palm Beach, Florida Volusia County Schools
Garland, Texas DeLand, Florida
Peninsula School District
Gilbert Unified School District Gig Harbor, Washington
Gilbert, Arizona
Polk County Public Schools
Grand Prairie ISD Bartow, Florida
Grand Prairie, Texas

Hillsborough County Public Schools

Tampa, Florida

iv SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Contents
GRADE

6
To the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Unit 1 Stories of Change

Activities
1.1 Previewing the Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introducing the Strategy: QHT
1.2 Understanding Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Poetry: “Imperfect Me” from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in Middle School, by Brod Bagert
1.3 Planning for Independent Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4 What Makes a Good Narrative? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
*Film: The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
1.5 Personal Narrative: Incident-Response-Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introducing the Strategy: Close Reading and Marking the Text
Personal Narrative: My Superpowers, by Dan Greenburg
1.6 He Said, She Said: Characterization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Novel: Excerpt from Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen
1.7 Analyzing Narratives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Personal Narrative: “The Jacket,” by Gary Soto
Novel: Excerpt from Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
1.8 Creating a Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
1.9 Creating a Narrative: Prewriting and Drafting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1.10 Creating a Narrative: Revising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Introducing the Strategy: Adding
Embedded Assessment 1: Writing a Personal Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
1.11 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 and Preparing to Write a Short Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1.12 What’s in a Short Story?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Short Story: “Thank You, M’am,” by Langston Hughes
1.13 Revisiting Simba’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

*Film: The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
1.14 Thinking Figuratively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Novel: Excerpts from Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1.15 In the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Myth: “Pandora and the Whispering Box,” from Enid Blyton’s Tales of Ancient Greece
1.16 A Day of Change: Developing the Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Short Story: “Eleven,” from Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, by Sandra Cisneros
1.17 In the End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Short Story: “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” by Walter Dean Myers
1.18 Analyzing a Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Short Story: “The Fun They Had,” by Isaac Asimov
1.19 Sparking Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
*Picture Books: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick or other picture books by Chris Van Allsburg
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing a Short Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Contents v
CONTENTS
continued

Unit 2 The Power to Change

Activities
2.1 Previewing the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
2.2 Forces of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
*Film: Clips from Up, directed by Pete Docter
2.3 Looking Inside and Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
2.4 Beginning the Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
*Novel: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
Introducing the Strategy: Double-Entry Journal
2.5 Planting the Seeds of Character Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
2.6 Mapping the Journey: Plot and Subplot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
2.7 A Tree of One’s Own: Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
2.8 Questions and Discussions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Introducing the Strategy: Questioning the Text
2.9 Diction Detectives and “Evidence” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
2.10 Reporting from Paradise Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
*Film: Clips from Up, directed by Pete Docter
2.11 Making Connections and Visualizing Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
2.12 Stepping into the Literature Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Introducing the Strategy: Literature Circles
2.13 Circling the Moon: Literature Circle Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Embedded Assessment 1: Responding to Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
2.14 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 and Expository Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
2.15 Changing Genres: Transforming a Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Fairy Tale: excerpt from “The Little Mermaid,” by Hans Christian Anderson
Poetry: “…And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed Everything to Win the Love of the Prince,
the Prince (Alas) Decided to Wed Another,” by Judith Viorst

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Expository Essay: “He Might Have Liked Me Better with My Tail,” by Ima Mermaid
2.16 Explaining and Interpreting Change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
2.17 Writing and Changing Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Introducing the Strategy: Replacing
2.18 Traveling with Charley: Literary Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Memoir: Excerpt from Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck
Introducing the Strategy: Diffusing
2.19 Reflecting on Marley: Textual Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Memoir: “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal,” by John Grogan
2.20 Making Connections Through Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Autobiography: “Dogs Make Us Human” from Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin and Catherine
Johnson
2.21 Synthesizing Temple’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
*Film Biography: Temple Grandin
Autobiography:“My Story” from Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
Biography: Excerpt from “Chapter 6: Hampshire School for Wayward Wizards,” Temple Grandin:
How the Girl Who Loved Cows, Embraced Autism and Changed the World, by Sy Montgomery
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Expository Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

vi SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 CONTNTS
continued

Unit 3 Changing Perspectives

Activities
3.1 Previewing the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
3.2 It Is Time to Argue and Convince . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Introducing the Strategy: Paraphrasing
3.3 Peanuts and Pennies: Identifying Claims in an Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Editorial: “Don't ban peanuts at school, but teach about the dangers,” by Des Moines Register
Editoral Board
News Article: “Penny Problem: Not Worth Metal It's Made Of,” by Yunji de Nies
3.4 Support the Sport? Creating Support with Reasons and Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Introducing the Strategy: Rereading
Online Article: “Should Dodge Ball Be Banned in Schools?” Time for Kids
News Article: “Most Dangerous 'Sport' of All May Be Cheerleading,” by Lisa Ling, Arash Ghadishah
News Article: “High School Football: Would a Pop Warner Ban Limit Concussions?” by Tina Akouris
3.5 Do Your Research: Sources, Citation, and Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
3.6 The Formality of It All: Style and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Historical Document: Excerpt from “Letter on Thomas Jefferson,” by John Adams
3.7 A Graphic Is Worth a Thousand Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
News Article: “E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes and Go in Backpacks,” by Julie Bosman
3.8 Debate It: Organizing and Communicating an Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Introducing the Strategy: Metacognitive Markers
Article: “The Pros and Cons of Social Networking for Teenagers: A Parent’s Guide,” by Kristin Stanberry
Article: “Social Networking's Good and Bad Impacts on Kids,” from Science Daily
Informational Text: “Pro & Con Arguments: ‘Are social networking sites good for our society?’”
Embedded Assessment 1: Researching and Debating a Controversy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
3.9 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2: Preparing for Argumentative Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
3.10 Looking at a Model Argumentative Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

3.11 Facts and Feelings: Rhetorical Appeals in Argumentative Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Letter: “The First Americans,” by Scott H. Peters, Grand Council Fire of American Indians
3.12 Citing Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
3.13 Playing with Persuasive Diction: Appealing to Pathos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Introducing the Strategy: Adding by Looping
3.14 Writing an Introduction and a Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
3.15 Saying Too Much or Too Little? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Introducing the Strategy: Deleting
3.16 Preparing to Write an Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Argumentative Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Contents vii
CONTENTS
continued

Unit 4 The Final Act

Activities
4.1 Previewing the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
4.2 Shakespeare in School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Article: “Shakespeare dumbed down in comic strips for bored pupils,” by Laura Clark
4.3 Shakespeare and His Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Informational Text: “Shakespeare’s Life,” from The British Library
4.4 Researching to Deepen Understanding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
4.5 Planning to Present Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
4.6 Understanding Shakespeare’s Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Essay: Excerpt from “Reading Shakespeare’s Language,” by Barbara A. Mowat and
Paul Werstine (editors)
Embedded Assessment 1: Researching and Presenting Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
4.7 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2: Preparing for a Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
4.8 Play Ball: Analyzing a Game of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Short Story: “The Southpaw,” by Judith Viorst
4.9 Drama Games: Connecting the Mind and Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Introducing the Strategy: Drama Games
4.10 Lear’s Limericks: Playing with Rhythm and Rhyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Poetry: Limericks from A Book of Nonsense, by Edward Lear
Introducing the Strategy: Oral Interpretation
4.11 Planning and Presenting a Reader’s Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Drama: “The Millionaire Miser,” by Aaron Shepard
4.12 A Poetic Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Poetry: “Oranges,” by Gary Soto
Poetry: “Jabberwocky,” by Lewis Carroll
Poetry: “Fireflies,” by Paul Fleischman
Introducing the Strategy: Choral Reading
4.13 Previewing the Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

4.14 Guided Reading of The Taming of the Shrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Drama: Excerpts fromThe Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare
*Film: The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, 1967
4.15 One Text, Two Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
*Film: The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, 1967
Embedded Assessment 2: Presenting Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
*Texts are not included in these materials.

Grammar Handbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

viii SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

To the Student

Welcome to the SpringBoard program. The College • Close reading and analysis of texts
Board publishes SpringBoard to help you acquire the
• Effective communication in collaborative discussions
knowledge and skills that you will need to be prepared
in which you use your textual analysis to share ideas
for rigorous English Language Arts coursework.
and make decisions with peers
Developing proficient reading, writing, language, and
speaking and listening skills is important to your success • Fluency in writing narratives, explanations, and
in school, in college, and in a career. Preparing you arguments based on purpose and audience
to develop these skills is the primary purpose of this • Vocabulary and language skills
program.
As you complete middle school and prepare for • Reading and interpreting film while comparing it to a
high school, these skills will also be valuable if you related print version
decide to take an Advanced Placement course or another • Media literacy.
college-level course. Not every student will take an
Advanced Placement course in high school, but through By learning these skills, you will enhance your ability to
SpringBoard you can acquire the knowledge and skills understand and analyze any challenging text, to write
you will need to be successful if you do decide to enroll with clarity and voice, to speak and listen in order to
in AP Literature or AP Language Arts. communicate and work effectively with others, and to
We hope you will discover how SpringBoard can view media with a critical intelligence.
help you achieve high academic standards, reach your
learning goals, and prepare you for success in your study LEARNING STRATEGIES
of literature and language arts. This program has been Some tools to help you learn are built into every lesson.
created with you in mind: the content you need to learn, At the beginning of each activity, you will see suggested
the tools to help you learn, and the critical thinking skills learning strategies. Each of these strategies is explained
that help you build confidence in your ability to succeed in full in the Resources section of your book. These
academically. strategies range from close reading and marking texts
to drafting and revising written work. You will also
STANDARDS-BASED LEARNING encounter collaborative strategies in speaking and
This SpringBoard edition was developed to help you listening like debate and Socratic Seminar. Finally,
achieve the expectations of being college and career SpringBoard uses a variety of pre-AP strategies like
ready. Rigorous standards outline what you should learn SOAPSTone and TP-CASTT to help you deeply analyze
in English Language Arts in each grade. See pages xiii- text; collect evidence for your writing; and critically
xvi for the complete standards for Grade 6. think about issues, ideas, and concepts. As you learn to
The SpringBoard program provides instruction use each strategy, you will decide which strategies work
and realistic activities that help you achieve the best for you!
learning expected by rigorous college and career
readiness standards. With this program, you will focus
on developing the following skills:

To The Student ix
TO THE
STUDENT
continued

AP CONNECTIONS • Gain a deep understanding of topics, enabling you to

When you reach high school, you may have an apply your learning to new and varied situations
opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes • Take ownership of your learning by practicing and
or other rigorous courses. When the time comes to selecting strategies that work for you
make that decision, we want you to be equipped with
the kind of higher-order thinking skills, knowledge, and • Reflect on your growth as a reader, writer, speaker,
behaviors necessary to be successful in AP classes and and listener and showcase your best work in a
beyond. You will see connections to AP in the texts that working portfolio.
you read, the strategies you use, and the writing tasks
throughout the material.
MIDDLE SCHOOL AT A GLANCE
Having connections to AP Language and Literature will Grade 6
help you: SpringBoard Grade 6 is developed around the thematic
concept of change. During the year, you will learn how
• Close read a text to determine literary elements. writers use that theme to tell stories in poetry, short
• Write with an attention to textual evidence and chose stories, and nonfiction texts. Among the many texts that
organizational patterns. you will read are works by Langston Hughes, a famous
writer who was part of the Harlem Renaissance. Sharon
• Identify and write rhetorical appeals. Creech explores change resulting from the loss of a
• Understand strong relationships among author’s parent in her novel, Walk Two Moons. John Steinbeck
purpose, use of literary/stylistic devices, and desired takes you on a trip around the country with his dog,
effect. Charley. Scenes from one of William Shakespeare’s plays
take you into the world of drama. As you read these
• Analyze and synthesize information from a variety of
texts and make connections to experiences in your own
texts to respond to an AP style prompt.
life, you will begin to see how writers use the details of
• Write to interpret, evaluate, and negotiate differing everyday life to create stories that we all enjoy.
critical perspectives in literature. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand, and Grade 6
gives you opportunities to write your own stories
THE SPRINGBOARD DIFFERENCE (narrative), explain information (expository), and
SpringBoard is different because it provides instruction create an argument to persuade an audience. Specific
with hands-on participation that involves you and strategies for writing and revising support your writing
your classmates in daily discussions and analysis of efforts from planning to drafting, revising, and editing.
what you’re reading and learning. You will have an Writing opportunities include a personal narrative and a
opportunity to: short story, essays in which you share your ideas about a
• Discuss and collaborate with your peers to explore fictional story and a real-life story, and an argumentative
and express your ideas letter to persuade others to support you position on
an issue.
• Explore multiple perspectives by reading a variety of You will also be asked to research topics and
texts – both fiction and nonfiction – that introduce deepen your understanding using film. In this grade
you to different ways of thinking, writing, and you will view a video biography of Temple Grandin
communicating while also reading about her life and how she has coped
• Examine writing from the perspective of a reader and with autism.
writer and learn techniques that good writers use to
communicate their message effectively

x SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 TO THE
STUDENT
continued

Grade 7 Writing and speaking opportunities are varied and

In SpringBoard Grade 7, you will investigate the engaging. For example, you will write a hero's journey
thematic concept of choice. All of us make choices narrative about a hero of your choice, along with essays
every day. Some of those choices have a short-term and an argument that presents your position on an
impact (like what to have for lunch), while others have issue in a compelling way. Using research on an issue
a greater impact (like whether to study in school or to of national or global significance, you will create an
goof off !). You will learn about Nelson Mandela’s choice informative multimedia presentation.
to fight segregation—even though it meant going to Viewing film is also a part of researching and
jail—in South Africa by reading from his autobiography. analyzing what authors are communicating. As part
A famous poem by Robert Frost, the novel Tangerine, of studying comedy and Shakespeare, you will analyze
Sojourner Truth’s famous speech on slavery, and a scenes from the play A Midsummer Night's Dream and
drama by Shakespeare all show you the choices that real then view those scenes in film to determine how and
and imaginary characters make and how those choices why a film director may have changed the scenes.
affect their lives. Close reading strategies will help you
to determine what each text says explicitly and to make PERFORMANCE PORTFOLIO
logical inferences from what it does not say explicitly. If you were asked to introduce yourself in a visual way
Writing and speaking will focus on text-based to your classmates, you might show them pictures of
evidence. For example, you and your peers will write yourself. Another way to introduce yourself is through
a literary analysis of a novel and include findings your writing. You are unique as a writer, and how and
from research to produce a multimedia biographical what you write is a way of showing yourself.
presentation. Much like in 6th grade, you will be When you collect your writing assignments over a
asked to write in argumentative, informational, and period of time, you can see how your writing skills are
narrative modes. changing as you learn new writing techniques.
You will also look at print texts and then examine Presenting yourself through a portfolio also provides
how those same texts are portrayed in film. Dramas are direction as you revisit, revise, and reflect on your work
like a film done on stage, and you will get to star in a throughout the year. Your teacher will guide you as you
performance of a scene from another of Shakespeare’s include items in your portfolio that illustrate a wide
plays. range of work, including examples of reading, writing,
oral literacy, and collaborative activities. As you progress
Grade 8 through the course, you will have opportunities to revisit
In SpringBoard Grade 8, units of study focus on the prior work, revise it based on new learning, and reflect
theme of challenges. Among the many texts that you on the learning strategies and activities that help you be
will read are an essay about Civil War heroes, narratives successful. The portfolio:
about the Holocaust, a novel and short story by Ray • Gives you a specific place to feature your work and a
Bradbury, Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, means to share it with others.
poetry by Walt Whitman, and a play by Shakespeare.
These texts take you into the world of heroes—both • Provides an organized, focused way to view your
everyday heroes and extraordinary ones—who face progress throughout the year.
challenges and take actions to overcome them. You will • Allows you to reflect on the new skills and strategies
learn about an archetype of a hero, which is a model that you are learning.
writers follow in creating stories about heroes.
• Enables you to measure your growth as a reader,
writer, speaker, and performer.

• Encourages you to revise pieces of work to

incorporate new skills.

To The Student xi
TO THE
STUDENT
continued

As you move through each unit, your teacher will instruct

you to include certain items in your portfolio. Strong
portfolios will include a variety of work from each unit, such
as first drafts, final drafts, quickwrites, notes, reading logs,
audio and video examples, and graphics that represent a
wide variety of genre, forms, and media created for a variety
of purposes.
Your teacher will also instruct you about preferences
for your portfolio. For example, your portfolio may be
organized in one of these ways:

• In a 3-ring binder with dividers to separate the work for

each unit.

• Chronologically, beginning with the first unit and moving

to the last.

• With periodic reports on assessments with your

reflections on your progress.

• With multiple drafts of an activity (where applicable).

• With a table of contents that lists each activity in your

portfolio.

We hope you enjoy using the SpringBoard program. It

will give you many opportunities to explore your own and
others’ ideas about becoming effective readers, writers, and
communicators.

xii SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

GRADE 6

College and Career Readiness Standards

READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE READING STANDARDS FOR
Key Ideas and Details INFORMATIONAL TEXT
1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of Key Ideas and Details
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences 1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of
drawn from the text. what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text drawn from the text.
and how it is conveyed through particular details; 2. Determine a central idea of a text and how it
provide a summary of the text distinct from personal is conveyed through particular details; provide a
opinions or judgments. summary of the text distinct from personal opinions
3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s or judgments.
plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how 3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event,
the characters respond or change as the plot moves or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a
toward a resolution. text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
Craft and Structure Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including figurative and as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a connotative, and technical meanings.
specific word choice on meaning and tone. 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph,
5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a
scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
and contributes to the development of the theme, 6. Determine an author's point of view or purpose
setting, or plot. in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
6. Explain how an author develops the point of
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
7. Integrate information presented in different
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as
7. Compare and contrast the experience of reading well as in words to develop a coherent understanding
a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing of a topic or issue.
an audio, video, or live version of the text, including 8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific
contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are
the text to what they perceive when they listen or supported by reasons and evidence from claims that
watch. are not.
8. (Not applicable to literature) 9. Compare and contrast one author's presentation
9. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written
genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels by and a biography on the same person).
and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
similar themes and topics.
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, end of the range.
in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of
the range.

College and Career Readiness Standards xiii

COLLEGE AND
CAREER READINESS
STANDARDS
continued

WRITING STANDARDS c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and

clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from
Text Types and Purposes
one time frame or setting to another.
1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant
and relevant evidence.
descriptive details, and sensory language to
a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and
convey experiences and events.
evidence clearly.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the
b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and
narrated experiences or events.
relevant evidence, using credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or Production and Distribution of Writing
text. 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the the development, organization and style are
relationships among claims(s) and reasons. appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-
d. Establish and maintain a formal style. specific expectations for writing types are defined in
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that standards 1-3 above.)
follows from the argument presented. 5. With some guidance and support from peers
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
through the selection, organization, and analysis of a new approach. (Editing for conventions should
relevant content. demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3
a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and up to and including grade 6 on page 52.)
information, using strategies such as definition, 6. se technology, including the Internet, to
classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/ produce and publish writing as well as to interact
effect; include formatting (e.g., heading), graphics and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient
(e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum
to aiding comprehension. of three pages in a single sitting.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, 7. Conduct short research projects to answer a
concrete details, quotations, or other information question, drawing on several sources and refocusing
and examples. the inquiry when appropriate.
c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the 8. Gather relevant information from multiple
relationships among ideas and concepts. print and digital sources; assess the credibility of
d. Use precise language and domain-specific each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and
vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism
e. Establish and maintain a formal style. and providing basic bibliographic information for
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that sources.
follows from the information or explanation 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational
presented. texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grade 6 reading standards to literature
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different
experiences or events using effective technique, forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their
sequences. approaches to similar themes and topics”).
a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing b. Apply grade 6 reading standards to literary
a context and introducing a narrator and/or nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and evaluate the argument
characters; organize an event sequence that and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims
unfolds naturally and logically. that are supported by reasons and evidence from
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, claims that are not.”).
and description, to develop experiences, events,
and/or characters.

xiv SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 COLLEGE AND
CAREER READINESS
STANDARDS
continued

Range of Writing LANGUAGE STANDARDS

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
Conventions of Standard English
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
or speaking.
a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case
SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS (subjective, objective, possessive).
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in
with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and pronoun number and person.
issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones
own clearly. with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or e. Recognize variations from standard English in
studied required material; explicitly draw on that their own and others' writing and speaking, and
preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, identify and use strategies to improve expression
text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under in conventional language.
discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of
goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
defined. spelling when writing.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions with a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to
elaboration and detail by making comments set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under b. Spell correctly.
discussion.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate Knowledge of Language
understanding or multiple perspectives through 3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions
reflection and paraphrasing. when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/
2. Interpret information presented to diverse listener interest, and style.
media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.
orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text,
or issue under study. 4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
3. Delineate a speaker's argument and specific and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a
reasons and evidence from claims that are not. range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas sentence or paragraph; a word's position or
4. Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of
logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, a word or phrase.
and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin
appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word
pronunciation. (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
5. Included multimedia components (e.g., c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to
in presentations to clarify information. find the pronunciation of a word or determine or
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
tasks, demonstrating command of formal English d. Verify the preliminary determination of the
when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the
Language standards 1 and 3 on page 52 for specific inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
expectations.)

College and Career Readiness Standards xv

COLLEGE AND
CAREER READINESS
STANDARDS
continued

5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative

language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) of
context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words
(e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to
better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations
(associations) of words with similar denotations
(definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical,
unwasteful, thrifty).
6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate
general academic and domain-specific words
and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when
considering a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.

xvi SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 UNIT

Stories of Change
Visual Prompt: A butterfly goes through several changes
in its life. It starts as an egg, becomes a caterpillar, then a
chrysalis, and finally emerges as a beautiful butterfly. In what
ways do people change as they move through the stages of
their lives?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit Overview
Unit 1 introduces the idea of “change” as the
conceptual focus for the year. By reading,
analyzing, and creating texts, you will examine
changes that happen in your life as well as in
the world around you. Through your responses
to texts, you will better understand that
change is threaded through all of our lives and
is something we can tell stories about.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 1

UNIT Stories of Change
1

GOALS: Contents
• To understand how change
Activities
can be significant
1.1 Previewing the Unit ..................................................................... 4
• To analyze key ideas and
details in addition to craft Introducing the Strategy: QHT
and structure in print and
1.2 Understanding Change................................................................ 5
non-print texts
Poetry: “Imperfect Me” from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in
• To use narrative techniques
such as sequencing, Middle School, by Brod Bagert
dialogue, and descriptive
language 1.3 Planning for Independent Reading .............................................10
• To write narratives to 1.4 What Makes a Good Narrative? ..................................................11
develop real or imagined *Film: The Lion King directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
events
• To understand pronouns 1.5 Personal Narrative: Incident-Response-Reflection ....................13
and the conventions of Introducing the Strategy: Close Reading and Marking the Text
punctuating dialogue
Personal Narrative: My Superpowers, by Dan Greenburg
1.6 He Said, She Said: Characterization...........................................17
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Novel: Excerpt from Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen
paraphrase
summarize 1.7 Analyzing Narratives ..................................................................26
synonym Personal Narrative: “The Jacket,” by Gary Soto
antonym Novel: Excerpt from Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
sequence
cause-effect 1.8 Creating a Narrative .................................................................. 34
analyze
transitions 1.9 Creating a Narrative: Prewriting and Drafting ........................... 36
coherence
1.10 Creating a Narrative: Revising ....................................................41
Introducing the Strategy: Adding

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Literary Terms Embedded Assessment 1: Writing a Personal Narrative .....................45
genre
1.11 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 and
point of view
diction Preparing to Write a Short Story ................................................47
narrative
characterization 1.12 What’s in a Short Story? .............................................................49
conflict (internal/external) Short Story: “Thank You, M’am,” by Langston Hughes
personal narrative
connotation 1.13 Revisiting Simba’s Story ........................................................... 54
denotation *Film: The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
simile
metaphor 1.14 Thinking Figuratively ................................................................ 58
sensory language Novel: Excerpts from Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
short story
theme 1.15 In the Beginning ........................................................................ 60
plot Myth: “Pandora and the Whispering Box,” from Enid Blyton’s
figurative language
personification Tales of Ancient Greece
foreshadowing
science fiction

2 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Language and Writer’s
1.16 A Day of Change: Developing the Story ......................................65 Craft
Short Story: “Eleven,” from Woman Hollering Creek and Other • Transitions (1.9)
• Revising for Transitions
Stories by Sandra Cisneros
(1.10)
1.17 In the End ................................................................................. 70 • Vivid Verbs (1.14)
• Varied Sentence Patterns
Short Story: “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” by Walter Dean (1.15)
Myers
1.18 Analyzing a Story ...................................................................... 79
Short Story: “The Fun They Had,” by Isaac Asimov
1.19 Sparking Ideas .......................................................................... 83
*Picture Book: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick or other picture
books by Chris Van Allsburg
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing a Short Story ................................85

*Texts not included in these materials.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 3

ACTIVITY Previewing the Unit
1.1

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Preview the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit.
Activating Prior Knowledge,
Skimming/Scanning, QHT, • Identify and analyze the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded
Marking the Text, Summarizing/ Assessment 1 successfully.
Paraphrasing
Making Connections
When you think about change, what thoughts come to your mind? Have you
perhaps changed schools? Have you made new friends? Has an old friend moved
My Notes away? Change is a part of life. In this unit, you will examine stories and poems
about change, as well as write your own ideas and stories about change.

Essential Questions
Based on your current knowledge, how would you answer these questions?
1. How can change be significant?
2. What makes a good story?

Introducing the Strategy: QHT

QHT is a strategy for thinking about your own understanding of vocabulary words.
The letters stand for Questions, Heard, and Teach:
Q: words you may have seen but you are not sure about their meaning
H: words you have heard before but may not know them well
T: words you know so well you could teach them to someone else
To use QHT, think about how well you know each term, and label each term
with a letter.

Developing Vocabulary
Look at the Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms on the Contents page. Apply

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

the QHT strategy to see which words you may already know and which you will
need to learn more about.

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 1

Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 1: Writing a Personal Narrative.
Your assignment is to write a personal narrative that includes a well-told
incident, a response to the incident, and a reflection about the significance of
the incident.
In your own words, paraphrase the assignment and then summarize what you will
need to know to complete this assessment successfully. With your class, create a
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY graphic organizer to represent the skills and knowledge you will need to complete
When you paraphrase, you the tasks identified in the embedded assessment.
reword written or spoken text
using words that help you clarify
and understand the text. When
you summarize, you create a
statement of the main ideas or
essential information in the text.

4 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Understanding Change ACTIVITY
1.2

Learning Targets
• Define the concept of change. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Freewriting, Graphic
• Write about changes using a graphic organizer and a frame poem. Organizer, Brainstorming,
Prewriting, Sketching
Before Reading
1. Select one quote, explain what it means, and discuss its connections to your life.
“Change in all things is sweet.”
—Aristotle, Greek philosopher My Notes

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”
—Gail Sheehy, American author

“Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.”
—Hugh Prather, American writer

Poetry is written in lines and stanzas, whereas prose is written in sentences and
paragraphs. Notice also that this poem rhymes. What is the pattern of the rhyme?
Show this by writing a letter of the alphabet after the last word in each line for each Literary Terms
new rhyme in a stanza. The first stanza has been done for you. Poetry is a genre, or style,
of literature. Within the
During Reading poetry genre are different
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

types of poems that can

2. Listen to the poem on the next page being read aloud. As you listen, think about have different rhyme
the “change” in the speaker. Summarize each stanza in one sentence, and write schemes or no rhyming
your summary beside the stanza in the My Notes space. at all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brod Bagert (1947–) was born in Louisiana. He worked as a lawyer for many
years but found his early interest in poetry calling him to change his life’s
work and become a poet. He has written numerous books of poetry for
both children and adults. Much of his time is spent traveling the country
performing his poems in schools and helping children learn to perform
poems themselves. Bagert comments that “…poetry is an oral art, and, for
children, a poem comes alive when they perform it.”

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 5

 ACTIVITY 1.2
Understanding Change
continued

Poetry
My Notes

from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in Middle School

by Brod Bagert

I used to try to be perfect: a

Perfect height, perfect weight, b
A perfect friend, the perfect date. b
Perfect makeup on my face c
5 Every hair in perfect place. c
The perfect mask for all to see, d
I tried to be a perfect me. d
But I couldn’t do it:
I’m short and just a little plump,
Literary Terms 10 My nose has got a tiny bump,
Point of view is the My teeth? Too big. My ears? Too long.
perspective from which a story
or poem is told. In first-person The me I see is always wrong.
point of view, the narrator is I felt such animosity,
a character in the story using
My life was an atrocity.
first-person pronouns such
as I and we to tell what he 15 But then I wised up:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

or she sees and knows. In Perfect looks? A total scam!
third-person point of view, the
narrator is someone outside Perfection lies in who I am.
the story using third-person This girl has got one life to live
pronouns such as “he,” “she,”
And who I am is what I give,
or “they” to tell the story.
20 And if I give with all my might
The me I give will be just right.

And suddenly my heart broke free

So here I am—Imperfect Me.

After Reading
3. Is the “change” the speaker of the poem experiences internal or external?
Explain.

6 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.2
continued

4. What point of view is being used in this poem? How can you tell?
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
You may already know that
antonyms are words that
have opposite meanings,
while synonyms are words
that mean the same thing.
5. Use a word map graphic organizer to explore the concept of change. Brainstorm If you say that something
words that are related to change or are synonyms or antonyms for change. is synonymous, you are
saying that it means the
same thing. For instance,
“Some people say that
good sleeping habits are
synonymous with good
health.”
Word Map

What the Word Means A Picture

Word
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Example Example Example Word in Context

Synonym Synonym Antonym

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 7

ACTIVITY 1.2
Understanding Change
continued

6. Prewriting: Write about changes that have happened in your life and changes
that could occur in the future.

In what ways has your life changed In what ways has your life changed
since first grade? since last year?

How might your life change What types of changes might occur
during the current school year? when you become a teenager?

7. What words, phrases, and images show the kinds of changes you and your
classmates have faced? Interview your classmates, and make a list for each of
the five areas shown below.

Hobbies Beliefs Appearance School Responsibilities

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

8 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.2
continued

Writing a Frame Poem

Write a poem about changes you have experienced. Finish the sentences with ideas My Notes
and thoughts about changes in your life. You do not need to make the lines rhyme,
but pay attention to your diction, so you choose just the right word. Make every
word count! Be sure to remain focused on you: your experience and your feelings.
1. That was me then; this is me now.
2. Last year I was ;
now I am .
3. I used to enjoy ; Literary Terms
now I . Diction refers to a writer’s
or speaker’s word choice.
4. I used to believe ;
now I .
5. I used to be confused by ;
now I .
6. Last year I felt ;
now I .
7. Last year I hoped :
now I .
8. Last year I wanted to be ;
now I .
9. This year I am ;
10. That was me then; this is me now.

Creating a Reader/Writer Notebook and Portfolio

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

With your teacher’s guidance, create a Reader/Writer Notebook and a Portfolio.

You will add artifacts, or examples of your work, to your portfolio throughout the
year. When you see Academic Vocabulary, Literary Terms, or Language and Writer’s
Craft boxes, record the words in your Reader/Writer Notebook. You may want to
use a graphic organizer such as a word map to explore the meaning of the new
words and how they are used.

GRAMMAR USAGE
Semicolons
Notice the use of semicolons
in the poem. A semicolon is
most commonly used to link
two complete thoughts into
a complex sentence. Use a
semicolon to add interest
to your writing by linking
balanced, short statements
that have a powerful effect.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 9

ACTIVITY Planning for Independent Reading
1.3

Learning Targets
INDEPENDENT
• Examine ways to choose a text for independent reading.
READING LINK
As you read, think like a writer • Set goals in an independent reading plan.
by noticing the way writers
create characters, construct Planning Independent Reading
plots, use details to create a
The focus of this unit is on narratives. In previewing Embedded Assessment 1, you
setting, include transitions
to move the story forward have seen that you will be writing your own narrative about a change in your life.
and indicate a change in time Reading other types of narrative—a fictional novel, a memoir, a graphic novel, a
or place, and use dialogue biography, or a collection of short stories—will help you see how writers create
to enhance the readers’ narratives. Think about these questions to help you choose books to read outside
understanding of what is of class.
happening. Use your Reader/ 1. What have you enjoyed reading in the past? What is your favorite book or
Writer Notebook to create your favorite type of book? Who is your favorite author?
reading plan and respond to
any questions, comments, or 2. Preview the book you have selected: What do the front and back covers show
reactions you might have to you? What type of visual is shown? What types of fonts and colors are used? Are
your reading. Your teacher there awards or brags that tell you about the book?
may ask questions about your 3. Read the first few pages. Are they interesting? How does the author try to
text, and making notes in your hook you to keep reading? What can you tell about the characters and setting
Reader/Writer Notebook will (location and time) so far? Does this seem too hard, too easy, or just right?
help you answer them.
Reading Discussion Groups
Your teacher will guide you in a book pass. Practice previewing each book, looking
at the covers and reading the first few pages.
My Notes
4. In your Reader/Writer Notebook, record each book’s title and author, something
from your previewing that stands out to you, and your rating of the book.
5. After previewing each book and thinking about the goals of this unit, do
you want to continue reading the book you brought to the group or choose
something else?
6. Create an Independent Reading Plan to help you set personal reading goals.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Keep this plan in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

I have chosen to read

by (author)
because (reason from previewing)

I will set aside time to read at (time, place)

I should finish this text by (date)

10 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 What Makes a Good Narrative? ACTIVITY
1.4

Learning Targets LEARNING STRATEGIES:

• Identify elements of a narrative by recording evidence of setting, Graphic Organizer, Note-
characterization, dialogue, and conflict. taking
• Sequence a text’s events chronologically in an outline.

A narrative can be a made-up story (fiction) or one that is based on real events.
A narrative has characters, actions or events, a setting, and conflict. An incident Literary Terms
is a distinct piece of action, such as an episode or a scene in a play. A narrative A narrative tells a story
generally includes characters, a setting, and conflict. or describes a sequence
of events. The act of
1. To help you recognize narrative elements, your teacher will show you a scene creating characters is
from The Lion King or another film. As you watch, take notes in the spaces characterization. The
provided. setting is the time and place
where the story takes place,
while conflict is a struggle
between characters or
opposing forces.

Descriptions of Setting Characterization Important Dialogue Conflict

(give specific details) (use adjectives or nouns (try to copy words and (give specific details)
to describe how the phrases)
characters are feeling)
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

2. Think back to the film. What external conflicts did you see between characters?
Literary Terms
In an external conflict, the
character struggles with an
outside force. In an internal
3. What internal conflict did you see within a character?
conflict, the character
struggles with his or her
own needs or emotions.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 11

 ACTIVITY 1.4
What Makes a Good Narrative?
continued

4. Write the sequence of events in this scene (in chronological order).

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
To sequence something is to
put things in an order, so a
First event:
sequence of events is a set of
events that follows one after Second event:
another in a sequential or orderly
presentation of steps or events. Third event:

Fourth event:

My Notes Fifth event:

Check Your Understanding

Think of a story you know well. Describe the story using the language you have just
learned: characters, setting, sequence of events, and conflict.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Narrative Writing Prompt: Imagine that you are Nala or Simba and you want to
tell a friend the story of going to the graveyard. Write a narrative of what happened
there, from your point of view.
• Use pronouns correctly as you write using first-person point of view.
• Describe the conflict, setting, and sequence of events of the incident.
• Include details of your character’s feelings and dialogue.

Keep this writing piece in your Portfolio.

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Where is the concept of change
in the book you are reading on
your own? What is happening
to the characters that is causing
them to change, or what can
you predict will happen? Add
your notes to an Independent
Reading section of your
Reader/Writer Notebook.

12 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Personal Narrative: ACTIVITY

Incident-Response-Reflection 1.5

Learning Target
• Identify and use the incident-response-reflection organizational structure in a LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Anticipation Guide,
personal narrative.
Predicting, Close Reading,
Marking the Text, Graphic
Before Reading Organizer, Visualizing
A personal narrative can be defined as a first-person autobiographical story.
Personal narratives usually include a significant incident, the writer’s response to
the incident, and a reflection on the meaning of the incident.
My Notes
A personal narrative may follow this structure:
• Incident: The central piece of action that is the focus of the narrative. It may
include the setting and dialogue
• Response: The immediate emotions and actions associated with the incident
• Reflection: A description that explores the significance of the incident

Introducing the Strategy: Close Reading and Marking the Text

Literary Terms
This strategy involves reading a text word by word, sentence by sentence,
A personal narrative is a
and line by line to develop a complete understanding of it. Close reading is
story based on one’s own
characterized by marking the text as a way of reading actively. Marking the text life and told in the first
means to make notes or write questions that help you to understand the text. person.

During Reading
1. As you read the following personal narrative, use close reading and mark the
text for the setting, the major incident of the story, the narrator’s response to
the incident, and the reflection about the incident.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Dan Greenburg is a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, and

humorist who has also done stand-up comedy. He has written for both adults
and children. His successful series The Zack Files was inspired by his own
son Zack. Greenburg wanted to write books that his son would like to read.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 13

 ACTIVITY 1.5
Personal Narrative:
continued Incident-Response-Reflection

My Notes
Personal Narrative

by Dan Greenburg

1 Do you ever wish you had superpowers?

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 2 When I was a kid, growing up on the North Side of Chicago and being picked on
In what significant ways is by bullies, I prayed for superpowers. Like Superman, I wanted to be able to fly faster
the incident of bullying that than speeding bullets, to be more powerful than locomotives, to leap tall buildings at
the narrator describes in a single bound. Mainly, I wanted to punch bullies in the stomach so hard that my fist
paragraph 5 different from came out of their backs.
the usual bullying?
3 Winters in Chicago are so cold that frost forms leafy patterns on your bedroom
window and stays there for months. The wind howls off Lake Michigan, and a thick
shell of pitted black ice covers the streets and sidewalks from December to April. To
keep warm in winter, I wore a heavy wool coat, a wool muffler, wool mittens, furry
earmuffs and—one of my most treasured possessions—a Chicago Cubs baseball cap
autographed by a player named Big Bill Nicholson.
4 On the coldest days of winter, three bullies waited for me after school, just for the
fun of terrorizing me. The biggest one was a fat ugly kid named Vernon Manteuffel.
Vernon and his two buddies would pull off my Cubs cap and tease me with it. They’d
pretend to give it back, then toss it around in a game of keep-away.
5 One day in February when the temperature was so low I felt my eyeballs cracking,
Vernon and his friends caught up with me on my way home. As usual, they tore off my
Cubs cap and started playing catch with it. What made it worse than usual was that on
this particular day I happened to be walking home with a pretty girl named Ann Cohn,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

who lived across the street from me. Ann Cohn had green eyes and shiny black hair and
I had a goofy crush on her. As if it wasn’t bad enough that these guys humiliated me
when I was alone, now they were doing it in front of Ann Cohn.
6 I was so embarrassed, I began to cry. Crying in front of Ann Cohn made me even
GRAMMAR USAGE more embarrassed. I was speechless with shame and anger. Driven by rage, I did what
Commas only an insane person would do: I attacked Vernon Manteuffel. I punched him in the
chest and grabbed back my Cubs cap.
When listing three or more
things in a series, separate 7 Vernon saw that I had become a madman. People don’t know what to do with
them with commas: “…I madmen. Vernon looked shocked and even a little afraid. He backed away from me. I
ran after them, screaming, attacked the second boy, who also backed away from me. Encouraged by their backing
punching, flailing at them away, I ran after them, screaming, punching, flailing at them with both fists. I chased
with both fists.” them for two blocks before they finally pulled ahead and disappeared. Breathing hard,
You can also create longer tears streaming down my face, I felt I had regained my honor, at least temporarily.
sentences by linking
descriptive phrases with
commas: “Breathing hard,
tears streaming down my
face, I felt I had regained my
honor…”

14 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.5
continued

8 That weekend, perhaps made braver by my triumph over the three bullies, I kissed
Ann Cohn on her sofa. I can’t tell you exactly why I did that. Maybe because it was My Notes
a cold, cloudy Saturday and there was nothing else to do. Maybe because we both
wondered what it would feel like. In any case, I could now brag that, at age eight, I had
personally kissed an actual girl who wasn’t related to me.
9 I never did get those superpowers. Not as a kid, at least.

10 When I grew up, I became a writer. I discovered a particular pleasure in going on

risky adventures. I wrote about my real-life adventures for national magazines: I spent
four months riding with New York firefighters and running into burning buildings
with them. I spent six months riding with New York homicide cops as they chased and
captured drug dealers and murderers. I flew upside-down over the Pacific Ocean with a
stunt pilot in an open-cockpit airplane. I took part in dangerous voodoo ceremonies in
Haiti. I spent time on a tiger ranch in Texas and learned to tame two-hundred-pound
tigers by yelling “No!” and smacking them hard on the nose. I found that tigers were not
much different from the bullies of my childhood in Chicago.
11 I also wrote fiction. I created entire worlds and filled them with people I wanted to
put in there. I made these people do and say whatever it pleased me to have them do
and say. In the worlds I made up, I was all-powerful—I had superpowers. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Where does Greenburg’s
12 I began writing a series of children’s books called The Zack Files, about a boy named
reflection on the
Zack who keeps stumbling into the supernatural. In many of these books I gave Zack
importance of this incident
temporary powers—to read minds, to travel outside his body, to travel back into the begin? Summarize in the
past, to triumph over ghosts and monsters. I created another series called Maximum My Notes space what he
Boy, about a boy named Max who accidentally touches radioactive rocks that just came says is the impact of that
back from outer space and who suddenly develops superpowers. Maximum Boy is me incident in his later life.
as a kid in Chicago, but with superpowers.
13 Oh yeah, I almost forgot. In The Zack Files, I created a fat, stupid kid who sweats a
lot and thinks he’s cool, but who everyone laughs at behind his back. You know what I
named this fool? Vernon Manteuffel. I do hope the real Vernon knows.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 15

 ACTIVITY 1.5
Personal Narrative:
continued Incident-Response-Reflection
After Reading
WORD
CONNECTIONS 2. Identify five events in “My Superpowers.” Sequence them in chronological
order:
Roots and Affixes
The Greek root -chron- in First:
chronological means “time.”
Chronological means “ordered Then:
by time.” Other English words
having to do with time also Next:
contain this root: chronic,
chronicle, chronology, Afterwards:
synchronize, and anachronism.
Finally:

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 3. Often, cause and effect play an important part in a narrative. Give examples of
Cause and effect describes a a cause and an effect from “My Superpowers.” There may be more than one.
relationship in which an action
or event will produce or cause
a certain response or effect in
Cause Effect
the form of another event. It is
important to show that a specific
effect is directly related to a
cause. For example, the effect
of a flat tire is caused by driving
over a sharp object.

My Notes

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding
Narrative Writing Prompt: Return to the narrative you wrote in the voice of
Simba or Nala. Revise it to follow an incident-response-reflection organization.

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Explore how the author of
your independent reading
book develops setting. Record
your thoughts in your Reader/
Writer Notebook.

16 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 He Said, She Said: Characterization ACTIVITY
1.6

Learning Targets
• Make inferences about a character and provide textual evidence in a short, LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Collaborative Discussion,
written response.
Predicting, Close Reading,
• Practice the use and conventions of pronouns and dialogue. Marking the Text, Graphic
Organizer
Before Reading
1. Collaborative discussion: Discuss the following prompt:
Describe a time when you and another person (a friend, an adult, a teacher,
a sibling) saw the same incident differently. Explain both how you saw the My Notes
incident and how the other person viewed it.

2. In Flipped, Wendelin Van Draanen tells a story from two alternating first-person
points of view. Based on the title, predict what you think the selection will be
about. Explain your prediction.

During Reading
3 What do you know about how an author develops characters? When looking for
evidence of characterization, four things to look for are
• The character’s appearance
• What the character says (dialogue) Literary Terms
• What others say about the character Dialogue is conversation
between people. In a
• The character’s actions story, it is the words that
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

characters say.
As you read the excerpt from Flipped, look for evidence to show how author
Wendelin Van Draanan develops her characters. Mark the text by underlining
details of appearance, words, and actions that develop the characters of
Julianna Baker and Bryce Loski. Literary Terms
Connotation refers to
4. A writer’s diction, or word choices, often uses connotation to create an effect or
the suggested or implied
meaning. For example, what do the verbs “barged,” “shoved,” and “wedged” meaning or emotion
say about how a character is moving? What image of the character do you get associated with a word.
based on these words? In contrast, denotation
refers to the literal meaning
of a word.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendelin Van Draanen started writing for adults but discovered that she
much preferred writing for children. She has had much success with her
Sammy Keyes mystery series, several of which have won the Edgar Allan
Poe Award for best children’s mystery. She lives with her family in California.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 17

 ACTIVITY 1.6
He Said, She Said: Characterization
continued

Novel Excerpt

Fl edp
My Notes

ip
from

by Wendelin Van Draanen

From the chapter “Diving Under”

1 All I’ve ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back off—you
know, just give me some space.
2 It all started the summer before second grade when our moving van pulled into her
neighborhood. And since we’re now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend,
makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.
3 She didn’t just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into
my life. Did we invite her to get into our moving van and start climbing all over boxes?
No! But that’s exactly what she did, taking over and showing off like only Juli Baker can.
4 My dad tried to stop her. “Hey!” he says as she’s catapulting herself on board.
“What are you doing? You’re getting mud everywhere!” So true, too. Her shoes were,
like, caked with the stuff.
5 She didn’t hop out, though. Instead, she planted her rear end on the floor and
started pushing a big box with her feet. “Don’t you want some help?” She glanced my
way. “It sure looks like you need it.”
GRAMMAR USAGE
Reflexive and Intensive 6 I didn’t like the implication. And even though my dad had been tossing me the
Pronouns same sort of look all week, I could tell—he didn’t like this girl either. “Hey! Don’t do
that,” he warned her. “There are some really valuable things in that box.”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Words like myself, yourself,
itself, ourselves, yourselves, 7 “Oh. Well, how about this one?” She scoots over to a box labeled LENOX and looks
and themselves can be used my way again. “We should push it together!”
as reflexive or intensive
pronouns, depending on how 8 “No, no, no!” my dad says, then pulls her up by the arm. “Why don’t you run along
they are used in a sentence. home? Your mother’s probably wondering where you are.”
A reflexive pronoun is used as 9 This was the beginning of my soon-to-become-acute awareness that the girl cannot
an object and refers back to take a hint. Of any kind. Does she zip on home like a kid should when they’ve been
the subject of the sentence. invited to leave? No. She says, “Oh, my mom knows where I am. She said it was fine.”
Example: “. . . as she’s Then she points across the street and says, “We just live right over there.”
catapulting herself on board.”
10 My father looks to where she’s pointing and mutters, “Oh boy.” Then he looks at me
An intensive pronoun adds and winks as he says, “Bryce, isn’t it time for you to go inside and help your mother?”
emphasis to a noun in the
sentence. It can be removed 11 I knew right off that this was a ditch play. And I didn’t think about it until later, but
without changing the ditch wasn’t a play I’d run with my dad before. Face it, pulling a ditch is not something
meaning of the sentence. discussed with dads. It’s like, against parental law to tell your kid it’s okay to ditch
someone, no matter how annoying or muddy they might be.
Example: I sent my complaint
to the president of the 12 But there he was, putting the play in motion, and man, he didn’t have to wink
company himself. twice. I smiled and said, “Sure thing!” then jumped off the liftgate and headed for my
new front door.

18 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.6
continued

13 I heard her coming after me but I couldn’t believe it. Maybe it just sounded like she
was chasing me; maybe she was really going the other way. But before I got up the nerve GRAMMAR USAGE
to look, she blasted right past me, grabbing my arm yanking me along. Punctuating Dialogue
14 This was too much. I planted myself and was about to tell her to get lost when the Look at how the writer uses
weirdest thing happened. I was making this big windmill motion to break away from dialogue in paragraphs
her, but somehow on the downswing my hand wound up tangling into hers. I couldn’t 16–21. What do you notice
believe it. There I was, holding the mud monkey’s hand! about the use of quotation
marks? How does the writer
15 I tried to shake her off, but she just clamped on tight and yanked me along, saying, indicate who is speaking?
“C’mon!”
When writing dialogue,
16 My mom came out of the house and immediately got the world’s sappiest look on remember these points:
her face. “Well, hello,” she says to Juli. • Place a person’s spoken
17 “Hi!” words inside quotation
marks (beginning and
18 I’m still trying to pull free, but the girl’s got me in a death grip. My mom’s grinning, ending).
looking at our hands and my fiery red face. “And what’s your name, honey?”
• Place the period, comma,
19 “Julianna Baker. I live right over there,” she says, pointing with her unoccupied exclamation mark, or
hand. question mark inside the
ending quotation mark.
20 “Well, I see you’ve met my son,” she says, still grinning away.
• Capitalize the first word
21 “Uh-huh!” of dialogue.
22 Finally I break free and do the only manly thing available when you’re seven years • Start a new paragraph
old—I dive behind my mother. when a different character
speaks.
23 Mom puts her arm around me and says, “Bryce, honey, why don’t you show
Julianna around the house?”
24 I flash her help and warning signals with every part of my body, but she’s not
receiving. Then she shakes me off and says, “Go on.” My Notes
25 Juli would’ve tramped right in if my mother hadn’t noticed her shoes and told her
to take them off. And after those were off, my mom told her that her dirty socks had to
go, too. Juli wasn’t embarrassed. Not a bit. She just peeled them off and left them in a
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

crusty heap on our porch.

26 I didn’t exactly give her a tour. I locked myself in the bathroom instead. And after
about ten minutes of yelling back at her that no, I wasn’t coming out anytime soon,
things got quiet out in the hall. Another ten minutes went by before I got the nerve to
peek out the door.
27 No Juli.

28 I snuck out and looked around, and yes! She was gone.

29 Not a very sophisticated ditch, but hey, I was only seven.

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
30 My troubles were far from over, though. Every day she came back, over and over
In the My Notes space,
again. “Can Bryce play?” I could hear her asking from my hiding place behind the
summarize the first meeting
couch. “Is he ready yet?” One time she even cut across the yard and looked through
between Juli and Bryce,
my window. I spotted her in the nick of time and dove under my bed, but man, that from Bryce’s point of view.
right there tells you something about Juli Baker. She’s got no concept of personal space. Use details from the story
No respect for privacy. The world is her playground, and watch out below—Juli’s on to describe what Bryce says
the slide! and does.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 19

 ACTIVITY 1.6
He Said, She Said: Characterization
continued

From the chapter “Flipped”

My Notes
1 The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a
lunatic. It’s his eyes. Something in his eyes. They’re blue, and framed in the blackness of
his lashes, they’re dazzling. Absolutely breathtaking.
2 It’s been over six years now, and I learned long ago to hide my feelings, but oh,
those first days. Those first years! I thought I would die for wanting to be with him.
3 Two days before the second grade is when it started, although the anticipation
began weeks before—ever since my mother had told me that there was a family with a
boy my age moving into the new house right across the street.
4 Soccer camp had ended, and I’d been so bored because there was nobody,
absolutely nobody, in the neighborhood to play with. Oh, there were kids, but every one
of them was older. That was dandy for my brothers, but what it left me was home alone.
5 My mother was there, but she had better things to do than kick a soccer ball
around. So she said, anyway. At the time I didn’t think there was anything better than
kicking a soccer ball around, especially not the likes of laundry or dishes or vacuuming,
but my mother didn’t agree. And the danger of being home alone with her was that she’d
recruit me to help her wash or dust or vacuum, and she wouldn’t tolerate the dribbling
of a soccer ball around the house as I moved from chore to chore.
6 To play it safe, I waited outside for weeks, just in case the new neighbors moved
in early. Literally, it was weeks. I entertained myself by playing soccer with our dog,
Champ. Mostly he’d just block because a dog can’t exactly kick and score, but once in
a while he’d dribble with his nose. The scent of a ball must overwhelm a dog, though,
because Champ would eventually try to chomp it, then lose the ball to me.
7 When the Loskis’ moving van finally arrived, everyone in my family was happy.
“Little Julianna” was finally going to have a playmate.
GRAMMAR USAGE 8 My mother, being the truly sensible adult that she is, made me wait more than an
Sentences and Fragments hour before going over to meet him. “Give them a chance to stretch their legs, Julianna,”
Authors often use simple she said. “They’ll want some time to adjust.” She wouldn’t even let me watch from the

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

sentences or fragments in yard. “I know you, sweetheart. Somehow that ball will wind up in their yard and you’ll
dialogue. Simple sentences just have to go retrieve it.”
contain an independent 9 So I watched from the window, and every few minutes I’d ask, “Now?” and she’d
clause with a single subject say, “Give them a little while longer, would you?”
and a verb.
10 Then the phone rang. And the minute I was sure she was good and preoccupied, I
Example: “I live right over
tugged on her sleeve and asked, “Now?”
there.”
Fragments are not complete 11 She nodded and whispered, “Okay, but take it easy! I’ll be over there in a minute.”
sentences, as they do not 12 I was too excited not to charge across the street, but I did try very hard to be
have both a subject and civilized once I got to the moving van. I stood outside looking in for a record-breaking
a verb. length of time, which was hard because there he was! About halfway back! My new
Example: “Sure thing!” sure-to-be best friend, Bryce Loski.
Authors may use fragments
intentionally in dialogue
and for stylistic reasons, but
fragments used by mistake
take away from the author’s
credibility.

20 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.6
continued

13 Bryce wasn’t really doing much of anything. He was more hanging back, watching
his father move boxes onto the liftgate. I remember feeling sorry for Mr. Loski because My Notes
he looked worn out, moving boxes all by himself. I also remember that he and Bryce
were wearing matching turquoise polo shirts, which I thought was really cute. Really
nice.
14 When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I called, “Hi!” into the van, which made Bryce
jump, and then quick as a cricket, he started pushing a box like he’d been working all
along.
15 I could tell from the way Bryce was acting so guilty that he was supposed to be
moving boxes, but he was sick of it. He’d probably been moving things for days! It was
easy to see that he needed a rest. He needed some juice! Something.
16 It was also easy to see that Mr. Loski wasn’t about to let him quit. He was going to
keep on moving boxes around until he collapsed, and by then Bryce might be dead. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Dead before he’d had the chance to move in! Notice that Juli uses
17 The tragedy of it catapulted me into the moving van. I had to help! I had to save the verbs “charge” and
him! “catapult” to describe how
she moves. These verbs
18 When I got to his side to help him shove a box forward, the poor boy was so mean more than simply
exhausted that he just moved aside and let me take over. Mr. Loski didn’t want me to “to walk or run;” they have
help, but at least I saved Bryce. I’d been in the moving van all of three minutes when his strong connotations. How
dad sent him off to help his mother unpack things inside the house. does the connotative effect
of these words describe
19 I chased Bryce up the walkway, and that’s when everything changed. You see, I
Juli’s attitude toward her
caught up to him and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him so maybe we could play a
friendship with Bryce?
little before he got trapped inside, and the next thing I know he’s holding my hand,
looking right into my eyes.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
20 My heart stopped. It just stopped beating. And for the first time in my life, I had After reading Bryce’s
that feeling. You know, like the world is moving all around you, all beneath you, all first-person telling of this
inside you, and you’re floating. Floating in midair. And the only thing keeping you from incident, find the part of
drifting away is the other person’s eyes. They’re connected to yours by some invisible Juli’s story that recounts
physical force, and they hold you fast while the rest of the world swirls and twirls and the exact same part of the
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

falls completely away. incident. Mark the text by

highlighting words and
21 I almost got my first kiss that day. I’m sure of it. But then his mother came out the
phrases in Juli’s retelling
front door and he was so embarrassed that his cheeks turned completely red, and the of the incident that show
next thing you know he’s hiding in the bathroom. her attitude toward and
22 I was waiting for him to come out when his sister, Lynetta, saw me in the hallway. her feelings about what is
She seemed big and mature to me, and since she wanted to know what was going on, I happening.
told her a little bit about it. I shouldn’t have, though, because she wiggled the bathroom
doorknob and started teasing Bryce something fierce. “Hey, baby brother!” she called KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
through the door. “There’s a hot chick out here waiting for you! Whatsa matter? Afraid How does the author pace
she’s got cooties?” the narrative? What words
or phrases does the author
use as transitions?

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 21

 ACTIVITY 1.6
He Said, She Said: Characterization
continued

23 It was so embarrassing! I yanked on her arm and told her to stop it, but she
My Notes wouldn’t, so finally I just left.
24 I found my mother outside talking to Mrs. Loski. Mom had given her the beautiful
lemon Bundt cake that was supposed to be our dessert that night. The powdered sugar
looked soft and white, and the cake was still warm, sending sweet lemon smells into the
air.
25 My mouth was watering just looking at it! But it was in Mrs. Loski’s hands, and I
knew there was no getting it back. All I could do was try to eat up the smells while I
listened to the two of them discuss grocery stores and the weather forecast.

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 26 After that Mom and I went home. It was very strange. I hadn’t gotten to play with
How does the author’s use of Bryce at all. All I knew was that his eyes were a dizzying blue, that he had a sister who
different chapters to represent was not to be trusted, and that he’d almost kissed me.
each character contribute to
the development of the plot
and the different perspectives
of the characters? After Reading
5. Record the textual evidence of the author’s characterization in the following
graphic organizer.

What Bryce/Juli says: What Bryce/Juli does:

What others say about How Bryce/Juli appears:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Bryce/Juli:

22 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.6
continued

6. Make an inference about the characters’ attitudes in Flipped. To support your

thinking, include textual evidence about what the characters say and do. My Notes

I know Bryce thinks Juli is because he says,

I know Juli thinks Bryce is because she says

7. Use evidence from the text to show the differences in Bryce’s and Juli’s
perspective about an incident and how each character responded to it.

Bryce’s Point of View Juli’s Point of View

Incident
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Response

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 23

 ACTIVITY 1.6
He Said, She Said: Characterization
continued

My Notes Language and Writer’s Craft: Pronouns

Pronouns can be used as both subjects and objects. Look at the graphic organizer
below and write in the pronouns of each type.

Subjective (Subject) Objective (Object)

Singular Plural Singular Plural

First person

Second person

Third person him, her, it

• When would you use a subjective pronoun and an objective pronoun?

Subjective when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence (I did this, he did

Objective if the pronoun is the object of the verb (“yanked me,” “got me”) or

• Think about how writers use pronouns. Reread paragraphs 13–14 of the chapter
“Flipped.” Read the paragraphs using only pronouns and not the names of the
characters? Why might this be confusing for readers?
Too many pronouns can be confusing because the reader does not know which

• Reread paragraphs 13–14 aloud to a partner, using only proper names and no
pronouns. How does this usage affect the flow of writing?
The writing sounds stilted; a mixture of proper names and pronouns leads to

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Possessive Pronouns
The possessive pronouns show ownership. Complete the chart below by writing
the possessive pronouns that correspond to the pronouns in the left column. Find
examples of how these pronouns are used in “Flipped” and discuss with a partner.

I our, ours

you yours

he/she/they his, hers, theirs

24 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.6
continued

4. Look back at your brainstorming about changes from Activity 1.2. Think about
an incident from your life that involved someone else or was witnessed by My Notes
someone else. It does not necessarily have to be someone with whom you had
a disagreement, as in Flipped.

Use the graphic organizer to prewrite about how that person’s viewpoint about
the incident would be different from yours.

I Say . . . __________________ Says . . .

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Narrative Writing Prompt: Write about the incident in a way that shows the INDEPENDENT
differing attitudes about what happened. Be sure to: READING LINK
• Establish the incident (setting, conflict, character) and describe the response to Investigate and record
the incident. in your Reader/Writer
Notebook how the author
• Create dialogue that incorporates the characters’ feelings and punctuate it
of the book you are reading
correctly.
independently is developing
• Use descriptive language: connotative diction and vivid verbs. character.
• Use proper names and pronouns (including subjective, objective, intensive, and
possessive) appropriately; punctuate your narrative correctly.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 25

ACTIVITY Analyzing Narratives
1.7

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze the elements of a personal narrative.
Paraphrasing, Close Reading,
Marking the Text, Graphic • Identify the sequence of events in a narrative.
Organizer, Note-taking • Compare narratives to analyze effective beginnings and endings.

Before Reading
1. Think of articles of clothing that you remember because you especially liked
Literary Terms or disliked them. In the personal essay you will read, author Gary Soto uses a
A simile compares two unlike simile to compare a hated jacket to “an enemy.” In a quickwrite, describe your
things using the words “like” article of clothing. Remember to use descriptive words to capture the image you
or “as.” For example, “I are trying to portray and a simile to make a comparison.
stared at the jacket, like an
enemy. . . .”

During Reading
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
2. In this activity, you will read three examples of personal narrative. Before
When you analyze, you separate
reading the first piece, your teacher will assign you to an “expert” group. Do
something into parts and study
how the parts are related. This
a close reading of “The Jacket” to find the elements of an effective narrative
analytical approach allows you according to your “expert” assignment.
to understand how the parts
work together so you can better
understand them. For example, ABOUT THE AUTHOR
an analysis of a patient’s Gary Soto grew up in Fresno, California, and now lives in Berkeley, California.
symptoms will help a doctor In high school, he discovered a love of reading and knew he wanted to be
understand a patient’s illness. a writer. Soto started writing while in college. He has written poems, short
stories, and novels, which capture the vivid details of everyday life and which
have won numerous awards and prizes. Of Mexican-American heritage, Soto
speaks Spanish as well as English.
My Notes

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Personal Narrative

The Jacket
by Gary Soto
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Look at the opening sentence. 1 My clothes have failed me. I remember the green coat that I wore in fifth and sixth
How is it a strong hook for the grades when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against a greasy wall,
narrative? bitter as a penny toward the happy couples.
2 When I needed a new jacket and my mother asked what kind I wanted, I described
something like bikers wear: black leather and silver studs, with enough belts to hold
down a small town. We were in the kitchen, steam on the windows from her cooking.
She listened so long while stirring dinner that I thought she understood for sure the
kind I wanted. The next day when I got home from school, I discovered draped on
my bedpost a jacket the color of day-old guacamole. I threw my books on the bed

26 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.7
continued

and approached the jacket slowly, as if it were a stranger whose hand I had to shake.
I touched the vinyl sleeve, the collar, and peeked at the mustard-colored lining. My Notes
3 From the kitchen mother yelled that my jacket was in the closet. I closed the door
to her voice and pulled at the rack of clothes in the closet, hoping the jacket on the
bedpost wasn’t for me but my mean brother. No luck. I gave up. From my bed, I stared
at the jacket. I wanted to cry because it was so ugly and so big that I knew I’d have to
wear it a long time. I was a small kid, thin as a young tree, and it would be years before
I’d have a new one. I stared at the jacket, like an enemy, thinking bad things before I
took off my old jacket, whose sleeves climbed halfway to my elbow. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
What is the point of view
4 I put the big jacket on. I zipped it up and down several times, and rolled the cuffs of this text? From whose
up so they didn’t cover my hands. I put my hands in the pockets and flapped the jacket perspective is it written?
like a bird’s wings. I stood in front of the mirror, full face, then profile, and then looked
over my shoulder as if someone had called me. I sat on the bed, stood against the bed,
and combed my hair to see what I would look like doing something natural. I looked
ugly. I threw it on my brother’s bed and looked at it for a long time before I slipped it
on and went out to the backyard, smiling a “thank you” to my mom as I passed her in
the kitchen. With my hands in my pockets I kicked a ball against the fence, and then
climbed it to sit looking into the alley. I hurled orange peels at the mouth of an open
garbage can, and when the peels were gone I watched the white puffs of my breath thin
to nothing.
5 I jumped down, hands in my pockets, and in the backyard, on my knees, I teased
my dog, Brownie, by swooping my arms while making birdcalls. He jumped at me and
missed. He jumped again and again, until a tooth sunk deep, ripping an L-shaped tear
on my left sleeve. I pushed Brownie away to study the tear as I would a cut on my arm.
There was no blood, only a few loose pieces of fuzz. Damn dog, I thought, and pushed
him away hard when he tried to bite again. I got up from my knees and went to my
bedroom to sit with my jacket on my lap, with the lights out.
6 That was the first afternoon with my new jacket. The next day I wore it to KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
sixth grade and got a D on a math quiz. During the morning recess Frankie T., the To show his hatred of his
playground terrorist, pushed me to the ground and told me to stay there until recess jacket, Soto exaggerates
was over. My best friend, Steve Negrete, ate an apple while looking at me, and the girls
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

the effect of the jacket on

turned away to whisper on the monkey bars. The teachers were no help: they looked my his life. List some effects
way and talked about how foolish I looked in my new jacket. I saw their heads bob with of the jacket by copying
laughter, their hands half covering their mouths. phrases directly from the
story onto the My Notes
7 Even though it was cold, I took off the jacket during lunch and played kickball in space.
a thin shirt, my arms feeling like braille from goose bumps. But when I returned to
class I slipped the jacket on and shivered until I was warm. I sat on my hands, heating
them up, while my teeth chattered like a cup of crooked dice. Finally warm, I slid out KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
of the jacket but put it back on a few minutes later when the fire bell rang. We paraded Paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 have
out into the yard where we, the sixth graders, walked past all the other grades to stand especially vivid examples
against the back fence. Everybody saw me. Although they didn’t say out loud, “Man, of similes that describe
that’s ugly,” I heard the buzz-buzz of gossip and even laughter that I knew was meant how the narrator is feeling.
for me. Underline examples.
Choose one that you
8 And so I went, in my guacamole-colored jacket. So embarrassed, so hurt, I couldn’t consider especially vivid,
even do my homework. I received C’s on quizzes and forgot the state capitals and the write it in the My Notes
rivers of South America, our friendly neighbor. Even the girls who had been friendly section, and explain its
blew away like loose flowers to follow the boys in neat jackets. effect.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 27

 ACTIVITY 1.7
Analyzing Narratives
continued

9 I wore that thing for three years until the sleeves grew short and my forearms stuck
My Notes out like the necks of turtles. All during that time no love came to me—no little dark girl
in a Sunday dress she wore on Monday. At lunchtime I stayed with the ugly boys who
leaned against the chainlink fence and looked around with propellers of grass spinning
in our mouths. We saw girls walk by alone, saw couples, hand in hand, their heads like
bookends pressing air together. We saw them and spun our propellers so fast our faces
were blurs.
10 I blame that jacket for those bad years. I blame my mother for her bad taste and
her cheap ways. It was a sad time for the heart. With a friend I spent my sixth-grade
Literary Terms year in a tree in the alley, waiting for something good to happen to me in that jacket,
A metaphor compares two which had become the ugly brother who tagged along wherever I went. And it was
unlike things without using about that time that I began to grow. My chest puffed up with muscle and, strangely, a
the words “like” or “as.” For few more ribs. Even my hands, those fleshy hammers, showed bravely through the cuffs,
examples, in “. . .that jacket, the fingers already hardening for the coming fights. But that L-shaped rip on the left
which had become the ugly sleeve got bigger; bits of stuffing coughed out from its wound after a hard day of play. I
brother. . ..” the “ugly brother” finally Scotch-taped it closed, but in rain or cold weather the tape peeled off like a scab
is a metaphor for the jacket. and more stuffing fell out until that sleeve shriveled into a palsied arm. That winter the
elbows began to crack and whole chunks of green began to fall off. I showed the cracks
to my mother, who always seemed to be at the stove with steamed-up glasses, and she
said that there were children in Mexico who would love that jacket. I told her that this
was America and yelled that Debbie, my sister, didn’t have a jacket like mine. I ran
outside, ready to cry, and climbed the tree by the alley to think bad thoughts and watch
my breath puff white and disappear.
11 But whole pieces still casually flew off my jacket when I played hard, read quietly,
or took vicious spelling tests at school. When it became so spotted that my brother
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS began to call me “camouflage,” I flung it over the fence into the alley. Later, however, I
Based on your close swiped the jacket off the ground and went inside to drape it across my lap and mope.
reading and your skills at
making inferences, what 12 I was called to dinner: steam silvered my mother’s glasses as she said grace; my
can you conclude about the brother and sister with their heads bowed made ugly faces at their glasses of powdered
significance of the jacket in milk. I gagged too, but eagerly ate big rips of buttered tortilla that held scooped-up
Soto’s life? beans. Finished, I went outside with my jacket across my arm. It was a cold sky. The

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

faces of clouds were piled up, hurting. I climbed the fence, jumping down with a grunt.
I started up the alley and soon slipped into my jacket, that green ugly brother who
breathed over my shoulder that day and ever since.

28 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.7
continued

After Reading
3. Use the graphic organizer to take notes on your analysis of “The Jacket.”

Ideas Organization Use of Language and

Conventions

The incident that affected the Incident: Important dialogue:

narrator:

Major conflict: Descriptive language (e.g.,

Response: connotative diction, vivid
verbs, similes):

Setting:
Reflection:

Feelings of characters:
Pronoun use:

4. You will next read an excerpt from the novel Kira-Kira. As you read, look
closely at the opening. How does it set the time, place, and point of view for
Literary Terms
the story? Also make notes and mark the text for the sequence of events, Sensory language refers
to words that appeal to
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

sensory language, vivid verbs, and descriptive details.

the five senses. Writers
use sensory language to
ABOUT THE AUTHOR help readers create mental
images of the characters
Cynthia Kadohata had published two novels for adults before she wrote
and story details.
Kira-Kira, which won the Newbery Medal in 2005. Kira-Kira and her next
novel, Weedflower, explore the experiences of Japanese American families
in the United States from a child’s viewpoint. In her book Cracker!: The Best
Dog in Vietnam, Ms. Kadohata shares her love of dogs. Ms. Kadohata earned
a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. My Notes

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 29

 ACTIVITY 1.7
Analyzing Narratives
continued

Novel
My Notes

Kira-Kira
From

by Cynthia Kadohata

1 My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh,

but she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means “glittering” in Japanese. Lynn told me that
when I was a baby, she used to take me onto our empty road at night, where we would
lie on our backs and look at the stars while she said over and over, “Katie, say ‘kira-kira,
kira-kira.’” I loved that word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira to describe everything
I liked: the beautiful blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies, colored Kleenex.
2 My mother said we were misusing the word; you could not call a Kleenex kira-kira.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS She was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and vowed to send us to Japan one
How do the opening three day. I didn’t care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along.
paragraphs of the narrative 3 I was born in Iowa in 1951. I know a lot about when I was a little girl, because my
give the reader a context for sister used to keep a diary. Today I keep her diary in a drawer next to my bed.
the character, settings, and
possible conflicts? 4 I like to see how her memories were the same as mine, but also different. For
instance, one of my earliest memories is of the day Lynn saved my life. I was almost five,
and she was almost nine. We were playing on the empty road near our house. Fields
of tall corn stretched into the distance wherever you looked. A dirty gray dog ran out
of the field near us, and then he ran back in. Lynn loved animals. Her long black hair
disappeared into the corn as she chased the dog. The summer sky was clear and blue.
I felt a brief fear as Lynn disappeared into the cornstalks. When she wasn’t in school, she
stayed with me constantly. Both our parents worked. Officially, I stayed all day with a
lady from down the road, but unofficially, Lynn was the one who took care of me.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5 After Lynn ran into the field, I couldn’t see anything but corn.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Think about how the author 6 “Lynnie!” I shouted. We weren’t that far from our house, but I felt scared. I burst
paces her narrative. What do into tears.
you notice about how much 7 Somehow or other, Lynn got behind me and said, “Boo!” and I cried some more.
of the story is the beginning, She just laughed and hugged me and said, “You’re the best little sister in the world!”
how much is the middle, I liked it when she said that, so I stopped crying.
and how much is the end?
Evaluate the effectiveness 8 The dog ran off. We lay on our backs in the middle of the road and stared at the
of each section. blue sky. Some days nobody at all drove down our little road. We could have lain on our
backs all day and never got hit.
9 Lynn said, “The blue of the sky is one of the most special colors in the world,
because the color is deep but see-through both at the same time. What did I just say?”
10 “The sky is special.”

11 “The ocean is like that too, and people’s eyes.”

12 She turned her head toward me and waited. I said, “The ocean and people’s eyes are
special too.”

30 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.7
continued

13 That’s how I learned about eyes, sky, and ocean: the three special, deep, colored,
see-through things. I turned to Lynnie. Her eyes were deep and black, like mine. GRAMMAR USAGE
Vivid Verbs
14 The dog burst from the field suddenly, growling and snarling. Its teeth were long
and yellow. We screamed and jumped up. The dog grabbed at my pants. As I pulled A verb is the part of speech
away, the dog ripped my pants and his cold teeth touched my skin. “Aaahhhhh!” that expresses existence,
I screamed. action, or occurrence. Vivid
verbs provide a very specific
15 Lynn pulled at the dog’s tail and shouted at me, “Run, Katie, run!” I ran, hearing the description of an action. For
dog growling and Lynnie grunting. When I got to the house, I turned around and saw example:
the dog tearing at Lynn’s pants as she huddled over into a ball. I ran inside and looked
Not vivid: The dog barked
for a weapon. I couldn’t think straight. I got a milk bottle out of the fridge and ran
and ran after the cat.
toward Lynn and threw the bottle at the dog. The bottle missed the dog and broke on
the street. The dog rushed to lap up the milk. Vivid: The dog growled and
sprang after the cat.
16 Lynn and I ran toward the house, but she stopped on the porch. I pulled at her.
“Come on!”
17 She looked worried. “He’s going to cut his tongue on the glass.”

18 “Who cares?”

19 But she got the water hose and chased the dog away with the water, so it wouldn’t
hurt its tongue. That’s the way Lynn was. Even if you tried to kill her and bite off her leg,
she still forgave you.
20 This is what Lynn said in her diary from that day: KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
The incident is described in
21 The corn was so pretty. When it was all around me, I felt like I wanted to stay there a very dramatic and sensory
forever. Then I heard Katie crying, and I ran out as fast as I could. I was so scared. way. Examine paragraphs 14
I thought something had happened to her! and 15 and highlight the
22 Later, when the dog attacked me, Katie saved my life. verbs. How do these verbs
appeal to the senses and
23 I didn’t really see things that way. If she hadn’t saved my life first, I wouldn’t have add to the visual effect of
been able to save her life. So, really, she’s the one who saved a life. the incident?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

After Reading
INDEPENDENT
5. How do the opening paragraphs describe the relationship between the two
sisters? Write a sentence using an appropriate adjective that describes this
READING LINK
After reading this excerpt
relationship.
from Kira-Kira, access
the YouTube audio for
Chapter 1. Listen to the
reading, and then respond
to these questions:
1. How are the images you
“see” when you read the
story different or similar to
the images you “hear” when
you listen to the story?
2. Did your understanding of
any part of the story change
as a result of also listening
to the story being read?

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 31

 ACTIVITY 1.7
Analyzing Narratives
continued

6. Use the following graphic organizer to identify the scenes in the order in which
they happened in the incident. Write a sentence that explains what Katie may
have been feeling.

Event Number Explanation of the Event Katie’s Feelings About the Event
Event 1 A gray dog runs out of the field. Katie Fear—Katie is fearful that her sister has
watches Lynn chase the dog into the disappeared forever.
cornstalks.

Event 2

Event 3

Event 4

Event 5

Event 6

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Event 7

Event 8

Event 9

Event 10

32 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.7
continued

7. Write a short summary of the main idea in this text.

My Notes

8. Including “My Superpowers,” you have now read three different personal
narratives. Reread the openings for each of the narratives. Choose the opening
that you think is the most interesting and effective, and explain why.

9. Now look at the endings. Which ending is most effective at closing the story?
Explain why.

Check Your Understanding

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

With your group, choose one of the narratives you have read and make a
poster that demonstrates your analysis of the story by creatively incorporating
the following:
• Title and author of text.
• An ending to the sentence: This narrative is effective because . . .
• Examples of textual evidence that support the sentence.
• Pictures/symbols/color that illustrate the elements of a narrative.

As you complete your poster, think about the answer to the essential question:
What makes a good story?

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 33

ACTIVITY Creating a Narrative
1.8

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Visualize a personal incident about change.
Graphic Organizer, Visualizing,
Prewriting • Sequence details in a narrative.
• Write dialogue and commentary about an incident.

1. Think about the narratives you have read and how the writers created a story
My Notes around an incident. List some of the incidents that resulted in some kind of
change to your life. An example might be events that happened when changing
from elementary school to middle school.

2. Choose one memorable incident that you would be willing to share as a visual
memory map. Think back to that incident and determine what happened at the
beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Try to come up with at least eight to
ten events for the entire incident, at least three to four for each part. Use the
graphic organizer to list the events of the incident.

My Incident:

Events at the Beginning Events in the Middle Events at the End

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

34 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.8
continued

3. Next, brainstorm details of the events. Record descriptive language

(connotative diction, sensory details, vivid verbs) and dialogue. Use
the questions in the boxes to guide your thoughts.

Structure of a Personal Narrative

Beginning Details Middle Details Ending Details

• What was the time and • Describe events in • How did it end?
place? (setting) chronological order. • What did you learn,
• Who was there? Include dialogue. discover, or realize? How
(characters) • What happened? (conflict) did you grow?
• What were you (the • What were you and others
narrator) doing, thinking, doing?
and feeling? • What were you thinking
and feeling?

Incident Response Reflection

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Creating a Memory Map

For each event you have listed, you will create one panel or page and include
the following:
• Write a sentence that gives specific details about the event. Then, write
commentary using a different-colored pen. Your commentary should explain
the importance of the event or explain your feelings and emotions at the
time. Be sure to include transitions.
• Using a third color, provide one sentence of dialogue for the scene.
• Create a drawing or graphic representation for each event.
• Give your Memory Map a title that will intrigue the reader and represent
the narrative.
• Be prepared to present your Memory Map, telling your story to either a small
group or the whole class.

You will use your Memory Map in the next activities as you write a narrative.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 35

ACTIVITY Creating a Narrative: Prewriting
1.9 and Drafting
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Demonstrate an understanding of narrative elements by drafting a narrative.
Prewriting, Rereading, Drafting,
Graphic Organizer • Apply the writing process while drafting a personal narrative.

1. Prewriting: Using the topic from your Memory Map or another topic of your
choice, think about whether there are additional questions you might ask.
Use the reporter’s questions (who, what, when, where, why, and how) to fill in
details of the narrative plan.

2. Planning: Organize the answers to your questions in a graphic organizer such

as the one below (see the Resources for a full-page version).

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Incident
Cause Effect

36 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.9
continued

3. Characterization: Plan the characters by deciding what they say and do.

What the Character Says: What Others Say:

What the Character Does: Descriptions of the Character’s Appearance:

What the Character Thinks: Language Techniques:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Writing the Beginning

How have you seen authors interest, or “hook,” their audiences? What types of
beginnings do you enjoy? Narratives must begin in a way that grabs the reader’s WORD
attention and interests him or her enough to continue reading. CONNECTIONS
Acronyms
Some authors use the AQQS strategy to hook their readers. AQQS is an
acronym for: An acronym is an abbreviation
usually created from the first
Anecdote: a short sketch or account of a biographical incident letter of each word in a phrase,
such as scuba (self-
Question: a question that focuses the reader’s attention on the subject of the contained underwater
writing breathing apparatus).

Quote: a line of dialogue or a famous quotation that points to the idea of the
narrative

Statement of intrigue: a statement designed to capture the reader’s interest and

compel him or her to read more

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 37

ACTIVITY 1.9
Creating a Narrative: Prewriting
continued and Drafting
4. Reread the openings of the narratives in Activities 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7. In the last
column of the graphic organizer, describe the type of hook each author uses.

Text What choice did the author make to hook

the reader?
Does the author use one of the AQQS
strategies?

“My Superpowers” “Do you ever wish you had superpowers?”

Flipped “All I’ve ever wanted is for Juli Baker to

From the chapter leave me alone. For her to back off—you
“Diving Under” know, just give me some space.”

“The Jacket” My clothes have failed me. I remember

the green coat that I wore in fifth and
sixth grades when you either danced like
a champ or pressed yourself against a
greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward the
happy couples.

Kira-Kira My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh, but
she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means
“glittering” in Japanese. Lynn told me
that when I was a baby, she used to take
me onto our empty road at night, where
we would lie on our backs and look at the
stars while she said over and over, “Katie,
say ‘kira-kira, kira-kira.’” I loved that
word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira
to describe everything I liked: the beautiful
blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies,
colored Kleenex.

38 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.9
continued

5. Which narrative opening do you believe is most effective? Why?

Writing an Ending
6. Reread the endings in the narratives in Activities 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7. Then
complete the graphic organizer.

Title of Text Describe how the narrator ends the Summarize how the narrator changes
story. because of the incident.
Consider what the narrator learns and
how he/she has grown as a person.

“My Superpowers” Greenburg explains how he “never got The ending shows that Greenburg learned he
those superpowers” as a kid, in two could be strong and get back at the childhood
sentences (paragraph #9) and then bullies by writing interesting, funny stories as
reflects on how he gained “superpowers” an adult. This shows how he learned that he
in adult life in the last four paragraphs. He has power through words/writing. His power
makes sure he ties the ending to the title is nonviolent and entertaining.
of his narrative.

Flipped (page 28) Van Draanen explains The ending shows that…
From the chapter
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“Diving Under”

“The Jacket” (page 26) Soto explains The ending shows that…

Kira-Kira (page 30) Kadohata explains The ending shows that…

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 39

 ACTIVITY 1.9
Creating a Narrative: Prewriting
continued and Drafting
7. Which narrative ending do you believe is most effective? Why?
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you use transitions to link
or connect ideas, you are helping
to create coherence or the clear
and orderly presentation of ideas
in your writing or speaking. This
ability to make your thinking
cohere, or stick together, is an
important skill in writing and
thinking in any subject. Language and Writer’s Craft: Transitions
Think about how you can The use of transitions makes an essay or other writing easy for the reader to follow.
generalize the term transition: Transitions are words and phrases that link ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.
The transition from childhood to Transitions help you create coherence in your writing.
adulthood is full of false starts.
Transitional words help you move from one sentence or thought to another.
• Transitions that show examples: that is, such as, for example, in other words,
for instance
My Notes • Transitions that show time: first, next, after, finally, then, at the same time
• Transitions that show importance: second, more importantly, most important,
most of all, least, last but not least

Check Your Understanding

Narrative Writing Prompt: Write a draft of your narrative about a change that is
significant to you. Remember to refer to your Memory Map, questions and answers
about details, and your characterization graphic organizer to help guide you as you
write. Be sure to:
• Establish the incident (setting, conflict, character), describe the response
(events), and include a reflection.
• Write from the first-person point of view and include details of the characters’
feelings; use dialogue to develop the characters and the incident.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Use descriptive language, such as connotative diction, sensory details, and vivid
verbs.
• Use transitions, apply correct punctuation, and use different types of pronouns
correctly.

40 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Creating a Narrative: Revising ACTIVITY
1.10

Learning Targets
• Examine and use revision strategies to enhance narrative writing. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Revising, Adding, Drafting,
• Incorporate transitions and sensory details into a final draft. Sharing and Responding

No one ever creates a perfect piece of writing with just one try. Revision gives you
the chance to look at your writing critically and decide how to improve it.

Introducing the Strategy: Adding

The adding strategy is a revision strategy. With this strategy, you make conscious
choices to enhance a piece of your writing by adding words, phrases, sentences, or
ideas. For example, characters and incidents should be fully developed in narrative
writing. Adding details as you revise can make a character come alive for the reader
or make the story more appealing.

Adding Dialogue
Adding dialogue is one way to enhance narrative writing. When adding dialogue, it
is important to vary your use of dialogue tags. Dialogue tags are phrases used to
explain who is speaking. For example, look at this line from Flipped:
“No, no, no!” my dad says, then pulls her up by the arm.
The dialogue tag is the phrase “my dad says.”

1. Brainstorm words other than “says” that you could use in dialogue tags,
categorizing them by beginning letter. These verbs should be vivid and more
descriptive than “said.”
starts with

starts with

starts with

starts with
A-D E-K L-P Q-Z
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 41

ACTIVITY 1.10
Creating a Narrative: Revising
continued

2. Your teacher will share with you a sample of a comic strip, or you might bring
My Notes in one of your favorite comic strips. Mark the text with different colors for each
character in the comic strip. Then transform the conversation in the comic strip
into written dialogue in paragraph form. Remember to punctuate the dialogue
correctly and use a variety of dialogue tags.

3. Share your dialogue with a partner and compare how you each wrote the words
of the characters in the comic strip. How were your paragraphs alike? How were
they different?

Check Your Understanding

Create a Writer’s Checklist for using dialogue. Then use the checklist to revise your
narrative to include dialogue.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

42 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.10
continued

Language and Writer’s Craft: Revising for Transitions

Another way of revising your writing is to add transitions. Transitions help the
reader follow a narrative by showing how ideas are related. The following words and
phrases are examples of common transitions.

again also in addition too but

still however because then so

first second next before afterward

yet finally at last to begin later

as soon as not long after instead at the last moment in the end

4. The following student narrative does not include any transitional words or
phrases. It also lacks details to help the reader imagine the scene. Highlight INDEPENDENT
each place where a transition might fit. Underline sentences that would benefit READING LINK
from sensory details and vivid verbs. Circle or draw a box around the pronouns. Outline the sequence
of events from your
independent reading
book. What has happened
Nala and Simba turned around. They discovered they were in a scary place. Nala so far? In your Reader/
Writer Notebook, include
and Simba were excited. They didn’t know how dangerous it could be. Simba major events, examples of
important dialogue, and
ran to explore the huge elephant skull in front of them. Three hyenas came out of transitional words and
phrases.
the skull. The hyenas attacked Nala and Simba, but they ran away, so the hyenas

attacked Zazu. Simba ran back to save him, but the hyenas turned on them. Nala
My Notes
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

fell and he turned around to save her. Simba and Nala dropped into the ribcage

of a dead elephant. The hyenas trapped them. They were saved by Mufasa.

5. Rewrite the paragraph above, adding transitions, sensory details, and vivid
verbs.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 43

ACTIVITY 1.10
Creating a Narrative: Revising
continued

Revising Your Opening

My Notes 6. Reread the opening of your narrative. Does it have a hook that grabs the
reader’s attention? Review the AQQS strategy:
Anecdote: a short sketch or account of a biographical incident
Question: a question that focuses the reader’s attention on the subject of the
writing
Quote: a line of dialogue or a famous quotation that points to the idea of the
narrative
Statement of intrigue: a statement designed to capture the reader’s interest and
compel him or her to read more
If needed, revise your narrative opening to use one of these techniques.

Revising the Ending

7. Reread your ending. Does it have a reflection on the incident, following the
incident-response-reflection pattern? How can you make your ending stronger?
Do you need to add sensory language or transitions? Revise the ending to your
narrative.

Creating a Finished Document

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

8. Among the steps to finishing your narrative is writing a title. To find ideas for
the title:
• Skim the narrative for a word or phrase that captures the big idea or theme of
the narrative. Use interesting, descriptive words for your title.
• State the change the narrator experienced, in a clever way.
• Make your title unique; an effective title is not just a labeling of the genre or
type of text (e.g., Personal Narrative).

9. The last step to creating a final draft is to check that it is correct and as good as
you can make it. To prepare your document for publication, do the following:
• Proofread it to ensure that you have caught and fixed any spelling errors. If
you are using word processing software, use its spell-check feature.
• Check that you have used correct grammar and punctuation.
• Use available resources, such as a dictionary and thesaurus, as you edit your
narrative and prepare it for publication.

44 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Writing a Personal Narrative EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 1

Assignment
Your assignment is to write a personal narrative that includes a well-told incident, My Notes
a response to the incident, and a reflection about the significance of the incident.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for your personal
narrative.
• What activities have you completed or ideas have you brainstormed that will
help you as you think of an appropriate incident to write about?
• How will you make sure you understand all that needs to be part of your
personal narrative?
• What prewriting strategies can you use to help you create ideas? Will you work
from your Memory Map?

Drafting: Determine the structure of your personal narrative.

• What will you include in the beginning, the middle, and the end of your
narrative?
• How will you introduce your incident?
• How will you be sure to write about the significance of the incident in a way that
conveys importance?

Evaluating and Revising the Draft: Create opportunities to review and

revise in order to make your work the best it can be.
• During the process of writing, have you paused at points to share and respond
with others how well you are following the structure of a narrative?
• Are you considering revising your draft to add transitions and additional details
to the incident? Once you get suggestions, are you creating a plan to include
revision ideas in your draft?
• Have you used the Scoring Guide to help you evaluate how well your draft
included the requirements of the assignment?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm that your final draft is ready
for publication.
• How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy?
• How will you make sure that everything is spelled correctly?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this assignment, and answer the questions below:
• How did the activities leading up to this Embedded Assessment help you to be Technology TIP:
successful?
As you prepare for
• What activities were especially helpful, and why? publication, don’t forget to
use spelling and grammar
tools provided by your word-
processing program to ensure
that your final version is as
clean as possible.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 45

EMBEDDED
Writing aTitle
Activity Personal
Activity
Narrative
Title
ASSESSMENT 1 Activity Title
SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The narrative The narrative The narrative The narrative

• presents a clearly • presents a focused • Presents an • presents an
focused and and significant inconsistently unfocused or unclear
significant incident incident focused incident incident
• develops • develops • Begins to develop • fails to develop
experiences, events, experiences, events, experiences, events, experiences,
and/or characters and/or characters and/or characters events, and/or
through thorough through techniques through some use characters; minimal
and effective use of such as dialogue, of dialogue, pacing, use of elaborative
dialogue, pacing, and pacing, and and/or descriptive techniques.
descriptive details. descriptive details. details.

Structure The narrative The narrative The narrative The narrative

• engages and orients • orients the reader • provides a weak • lacks an introduction
the reader in an with an adequate or unrelated • sequences events
introduction introduction introduction illogically
• sequences events • sequences events • sequences events • uses few or no
in the incident and in the incident and unevenly transitional
response logically response logically • uses inconsistent, strategies
and naturally • uses transitional repetitive, or basic • lacks a conclusion.
• uses a variety words, phrases, and transitional words,
of transitional clauses to link events phrases, and clauses
strategies effectively and signal shifts • provides a weak
• provides an insightful • provides a reflective or disconnected
reflective conclusion. conclusion. conclusion.

Use of The narrative The narrative The narrative The narrative

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Language • uses precise words • uses generally • uses few precise • uses limited, vague,
and sensory language precise words and words and little and unclear words
effectively to convey sensory language sensory language and language
the experience to convey the • demonstrates partial • lacks command of
• demonstrates experience or inconsistent the conventions of
command of the • demonstrates command of the standard English
conventions of adequate command conventions of capitalization,
standard English of the conventions standard English punctuation, spelling,
capitalization, of standard English capitalization, grammar, and usage;
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, frequent errors
grammar, and usage punctuation, spelling, grammar, and usage obscure meaning.
(including pronoun grammar, and usage (including pronoun
use, sentence variety, (including pronoun use, sentence variety,
dialogue tags, and use, sentence variety, dialogue tags, and
punctuation). dialogue tags, and punctuation).
punctuation).

46 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 ACTIVITY

and Preparing to Write a Short Story 1.11

Learning Targets
• Reflect on prior learning and connect to learning necessary to complete LEARNING STRATEGIES:
QHT, Close Reading,
Embedded Assessment 2 successfully.
Paraphrasing, Graphic
• Compare and contrast writing a personal narrative and writing a short story. Organizer

Making Connections
In the first part of this unit, you thought about changes in your life and learned how
to write a personal narrative. In the second part of the unit, you will expand on your My Notes
writing skills by learning to write a short story that will appeal to an audience.

Essential Questions
1. Reflect on your understanding of the first Essential Question: How can change
be significant?
2. Have your ideas about what makes a good story changed?

Developing Vocabulary
Create a graphic organizer with three columns, one each for Q, H, and T.
Re-sort the following words from the first half of the unit using the QHT strategy.
Compare this sort with your original sort. Where has it changed most? Where has it
changed least?

Literary Terms Academic Vocabulary

genre connotation paraphrase

point of view denotation summarize
diction simile synonym
narrative metaphor antonym
characterization sensory language sequence
conflict (internal/external) personal narrative cause-effect
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

analyze
transitions
coherence

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 2

Closely read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 2: Writing a Short Story.
Write a story using dialogue, vivid verbs, and figurative language that captures
a real or imagined experience and includes characters, conflict, and a plot with
exposition, climax, and resolution.
Also read the Scoring Guide for Embedded Assessment 2 on page 86. With your
class, create a graphic organizer to use as a visual reminder of the required
knowledge (what you need to know) and skills (what you need to do). Copy the
graphic organizer for future reference. After each activity, use this graphic to guide
reflection about what you have learned and what you still need to learn in order to
be successful on the Embedded Assessment.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 47

 ACTIVITY 1.11
Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
continued and Preparing to Write a Short Story
3. Based on your current understanding, how do you think writing a personal
INDEPENDENT narrative and a short story are similar? How are they different? Fill in the chart
READING LINK below with your ideas for each genre.
To support your learning in
the second half of the unit,
you might think about reading Personal Narrative Short Story
a collection of short stories
by different authors or a Topics
collection of short stories by a
single author.

Setting

My Notes

Plot

Characters

Dialogue

4. With a group, discuss your ideas about how personal narratives and short
stories may be similar or different. Write down the conclusions you can draw,
based on your discussion.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5. What do these similarities and differences mean for you as a writer? Do you
think writing a short story will be more or less challenging than writing a
personal narrative?

48 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 What’s in a Short Story? ACTIVITY
1.12

Learning Targets
• Analyze the elements of plot and characterization. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Collaborative Discussion,
• Use narrative writing to create a new resolution to a story. Note-taking, Drafting

Before Reading
1. You have read many short stories in your life. Unlike a personal narrative, a
short story is a work of fiction, which means that it is made up by the writer. Do My Notes
a quickwrite on what you think makes a good short story.

During Reading
2. Many short stories contain dialogue. In the next story, the dialogue takes
place between the two characters. As you read the story, make connections
to elements of a personal narrative that you have studied: characters, point of
view, dialogue, and incidents. Take notes in the graphic organizer.
Literary Terms
A short story is a fictional
Elements of a Personal Narrative Examples from the Story narrative that presents a
sequence of events, or plot,
that include a conflict.
Characters:

Point of View:

Dialogue:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Structure:

Incidents:

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 49

 ACTIVITY 1.12
What’s in a Short Story?
continued

My Notes ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Langston Hughes (1902–1967) began his writing career early. By 8th grade,
he was named the class poet. He regularly wrote verse for his high school
magazine. Hughes entered Columbia University in 1921 and discovered
the arts scene in Harlem. He became a prominent figure in the Harlem
Renaissance. His poetry, plays, and stories frequently focus on the African
American experience, particularly on the struggles and feelings of people
in a segregated society. His poetry was especially informed by the jazz and
blues rhythms of African American music.

Thank You, M’am

by Langston Hughes

1 She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer
and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about
eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and
tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from
behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose
his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back
on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and
kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the
boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
2 After that the woman said, “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.”

3 She still held him. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

her purse. Then she said, “Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?”
4 Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, “Yes’m.”
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
In the opening, how do 5 The woman said, “What did you want to do it for?”
the details of setting and
6 The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”
character set up the conflict of
this story? 7 She said, “You a lie!”

8 By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood
watching.
9 “If I turn you loose, will you run?” asked the woman.

10 “Yes’m,” said the boy.

11 “Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release him.

12 “I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.

13 “Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you.
Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”
14 “No’m,” said the boy.

50 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.12
continued

15 “Then it will get washed this evening,” said the large woman starting up the street,
dragging the frightened boy behind her. My Notes
16 He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes
and blue jeans.
17 The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.
Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”
18 “No’m,” said the being-dragged boy. “I just want you to turn me loose.”

19 “Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?” asked the woman.

20 “No’m.” KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS

How does Mrs. Luella
21 “But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that
Bates Washington Jones’s
contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through comment, “I got a great
with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.” mind to wash your face for
22 Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, you” define how she treats
jerked him around in front of her, put a half-nelson about his neck, and continued to Roger? Find other textual
drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a evidence based on things
hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house. She switched Mrs. Jones says to support
your answer.
on the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers laughing and
talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew he and the
woman were not alone. The woman still had him by the neck in the middle of her room. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Look at paragraph 25. Why
23 She said, “What is your name?”
does Roger not try to run
24 “Roger,” answered the boy. away?

25 “Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon
she turned him loose–at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked
at the door—and went to the sink.
26 Let the water run until it gets warm,” she said. “Here’s a clean towel.”

27 “You gonna take me to jail?” asked the boy, bending over the sink.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

28 “Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,” said the woman. “Here I am
trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you
ain’t been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?”
29 “There’s nobody home at my house,” said the boy.

30 “Then we’ll eat,” said the woman, “I believe you’re hungry—or been hungry—to try
to snatch my pocketbook.”
31 “I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.

32 “Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes,” said Mrs.
Luella Bates Washington Jones. “You could of asked me.”
33 “M’am?”

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 51

 ACTIVITY 1.12
What’s in a Short Story?
continued

34 The water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. There was a long pause. A
My Notes very long pause. After he had dried his face and not knowing what else to do, dried it
again, the boy turned around, wondering what next. The door was open. He could make
a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!
35 The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, “I were young once
and I wanted things I could not get.”
36 There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened. Then he frowned, but not
knowing he frowned.
37 The woman said, “Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didn’t you? You
thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going
to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—
neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to
eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.
38 In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox.
Mrs. Jones got up and went behind the screen. The woman did not watch the boy to see
if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on
the day-bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought
she could easily see him out of the corner other eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust
the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
39 “Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk
or something?”
40 “Don’t believe I do,” said the woman, “unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I
was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got here.”
41 “That will be fine,” said the boy.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 42 She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and
The conflict in this story set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks,
seems to be external. How or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her
can it also be described as an job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all
internal conflict? kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish. Then she cut him a

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

half of her ten-cent cake.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Summarize the main incident 43 “Eat some more, son,” she said.
of this story. Then, list three or 44 When they were finished eating she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten
four events that lead up to the dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the
incident.
mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by
devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would
behave yourself, son, from here on in.”
45 She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Goodnight!” Behave
yourself, boy!” she said, looking out into the street.
46 The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, ma’am” to Mrs.
Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop
and looked back at the large woman in the door. He barely managed to say “Thank you”
before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.

52 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.12
continued

After Reading
3. What is the actual length of the action of this story? How do you know? My Notes

4. What is the story’s theme? Write a sentence describing what the reader
learns about life through the interaction between Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates
Washington Jones. Literary Terms
Theme is the central idea,
message, or purpose of a
literary work.

Writing Prompt: This story is told from the third-person point of view. Choose a
scene or event in the incident and imagine Roger’s thoughts and feelings about
what is happening. Draft a first-person narrative of his thinking at that point in
the story. Be sure to:
• Use first-person point of view.
• Maintain the character of Roger as the author presents him.
• Show how Roger’s thoughts and feelings fit the theme of the story.

Save this writing response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas for the
original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 53

ACTIVITY Revisiting Simba’s Story
1.13

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Explain how a character responds to change.
Note-taking, Graphic Organizer
• Describe how a story’s plot develops.

Elements of Storytelling
My Notes Storytellers use the following elements of plot to develop and organize ideas.

Exposition: The events that give the reader background information needed to
understand the story. The introduction to the story usually reveals the setting, the
major characters, and the conflict.
Rising Action: The major events that develop the plot and lead to the climax
Climax: The event that is the turning point in the story, at which the conflict could
be resolved in different ways
Falling Action: The events that begin to conclude the story and lead to the ending
Literary Terms
Plot is the sequence of related Resolution: The events that conclude the story and reveal the theme
events that make up a story.
Types of Conflict
You learned in the first part of the unit that conflict is an important part of a story.
Writers reveal conflict through the dialogue and events of a story. Conflict is used
to move the action forward, reveal information about characters, and create a
decision or change.
The two main types of conflict are internal conflict and external conflict.
• Internal conflict occurs when a character struggles with his or her own needs,
desires, or emotions.
• External conflict occurs when a character struggles with an outside force, such
as another character or something in nature.

Reviewing and Analyzing The Lion King

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

1. What do you remember about the graveyard scene from The Lion King?

WORD
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
Resolution is the noun form of
resolve. The root -sol- or -solve-
means “to set loose or free.”
This root occurs in solution,
2. As you watch scenes from The Lion King, focus on the conflicts that Simba faces
absolution, and resolute.
in his world and the way he reacts to them. Make notes in the graphic organizer
The Latin prefix re- means
on the next page.
“back” or “again.”

54 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.13
continued

Clip 1: Describe the setting of this

opening section. What does it look
like? How does everyone get along
with everyone else? What is Simba’s
place in this world?

Clip 2: What conflicts do you notice

in this scene? How does Simba’s
world change in this section? How
does he feel about this change?
Why?

Clip 3: Simba is living in a new

setting. How is this world different
from his original home? How does he
feel about his new home? How has
Simba changed?

Clip 4: What does this scene reveal

about the way Simba’s world has
changed since Scar has taken over?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Clip 5: What are Simba’s options at

this point? What is Simba’s internal
conflict in this scene?

Clip 6: Describe the external conflict

between Simba and Scar.
What is Simba’s world like at the end
of the film?

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 55

 ACTIVITY 1.13
Revisiting Simba’s Story
continued

3. Write the events you have listed from The Lion King in the appropriate places on
My Notes the plot diagram.

Plot Diagram Climax

n
tio
Ac
g
sin
Ri

Fal
Conflict

ling
Act
ion
WORD Exposition
CONNECTIONS Resolution
Multiple Meaning Words
A single word sometimes
has several meanings. For
example, the word exposition
refers to the plot of a short 4. After analyzing plot, character, conflict, and setting, what would you conclude is
story. It also describes a type the theme of this story?
of writing. It may also describe
a fair or public exhibit.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

56 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.13
continued

Check Your Understanding

Writing Prompt: Sometimes writers use a known story as inspiration for a new My Notes
story of their own; for example, The Lion King may have been inspired by a play
by William Shakespeare called Hamlet. In this play, a young prince struggles with
difficult choices after his uncle kills his father, the king.
Choose one of the following plot lines from plays by Shakespeare. Imagine how a
new plot might develop. Make up and write at least seven events on the provided
plot diagram.
• A boy and girl like each other very much but their families are enemies (Romeo
and Juliet).
• Twins are separated at birth but reunited later (The Comedy of Errors).
• A magic potion makes a sleeping person fall in love with the first living thing
seen when he or she awakens (A Midsummer Night’s Dream).
• A parent plays favorites, making the two older children jealous of the youngest
child (King Lear).

Plot Diagram Climax

n
tio
Ac
g
sin
Ri
Fal

Conflict
ling
Act
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

ion

Exposition
Resolution

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 57

ACTIVITY Thinking Figuratively
1.14

Learning Target
Literary Terms • Identify types of figurative language and how to use it to create mental images.
Figurative language
• Write narrative pieces using figurative language.
is language used in an
imaginative way to express
ideas that are not literally true. Figurative Language
The most common examples Writers use figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and personification,
of figurative language are to add interest, detail, and voice to writing.
metaphor and simile.
1. What are similes, metaphors, and personification? What do they have in
A simile compares two unlike
things using words such as common, and how are they different?
“like” or “as.” 2. These are phrases from a novel you may read in Unit 2, Walk Two Moons, by
His music is like a fast trip on a Sharon Creech. Mark them using two colors, symbols or codes; use one mark for
roller coaster. similes and a different mark for metaphors.
A metaphor compares two
unlike things without using the
words like or as. Often a form “Sometimes I am as ornery and “When my mother had been there, I was
of “to be” is used. stubborn as an old donkey.” page 6 like a mirror.” page 38
Her music is a trip to the
streets of Memphis.
Personification is a type of “‘I told you she was strong as an ox,’ “My father hated the whole idea of
metaphor that gives objects Phoebe said.” page 85 putting cars out to pasture.” page 108
or abstract ideas human
characteristics.
The song’s upbeat melody “It was nearly heaven, with that cool “The hot air pressed against my face,
danced across the evening air.
water rippling and a high, clear sky and my hair was like a hot, heavy
all around us, and trees waving along blanket draped on my neck and back.”
the banks.” page 92 page 91
My Notes “For weeks, my father and I fumbled “Her voice is like dead leaves blowing
around like ducks in a fit.” page 133 around, and her hair is spooky.” page
115

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“He let me behave like a wild boar.” “Those are fishes in the air.” page 137
page 112

“It was as if someone had ironed “Long ago the sky was so low that
out all the rest of South Dakota and you might bump your head on it if you
smooshed all the hills and valleys weren’t careful…” page 144
and rocks into this spot.” page 143

Revisiting Verbs
3. Read this passage from pages 257–258 of Walk Two Moons and mark the verbs.
“This beagle in my lap was just like our Moody Blue. I rubbed her head and
prayed for Gram. I thought about Moody Blue’s litter of puppies. For the first
week, Moody Blue wouldn’t let anyone come anywhere near those puppies. She
licked them clean and nuzzled them. They squealed and pawed their way up to
her with their eyes still sealed.”

58 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.14
continued

Language and Writer’s Craft: Vivid Verbs My Notes

A verb is the part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence.
Example: They walked to school.
Vivid verbs describe an action in ways that help the reader create a mental image of
the action. How does the action from the sentence above change in your mind when
you replace the verb walked with one of these verbs?
scrambled, skipped, marched, strode, sauntered

4. Look back at the verbs you highlighted in the paragraph from Walk Two Moons.
What did you notice?

5. Using the image as insipiration, practice writing descriptions using figurative

language and vivid verbs. Include examples of a simile, a metaphor, and
personification.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding

Revisit the draft of a text you have written so far in this part of the unit. Mark the
text to evaluate your use of vivid verbs, sensory language, figurative language, and
dialogue conventions.
Revise to improve your use of these elements. To practice revising by adding,
underline three sentences that could use more information or details. Add sensory
language or a type of figurative language: simile, metaphor, or personification. Put
a label in the margin to tell what you have added.
Circle your verbs, and write a more descriptive or exciting choice for each verb.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 59

ACTIVITY In the Beginning
1.15

Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Identify the elements of the exposition of a story by accurately recording textual
Graphic Organizer, Marking the
evidence that supports interpretation.
Text, Rereading, Brainstorming,
Skimming/Scanning
Before Reading
1. Read the following sentence and try to interpret what it means:
Spreading rumors is like opening a Pandora’s Box.
WORD
CONNECTIONS During Reading
Roots and Affixes 2. As you read the following story, look for and mark the different events in the
plot. Visualize the event by drawing a quick representation of it in the margin.
The suffix -logy- is from Greek
and means “the study of.” This Remember, marking the text involves highlighting, underlining, using symbols
much-used word part appears or drawings, or making notes about something you read. As you read, select
in many words in English, text for a specific purpose (in this case, events in the plot). Marking makes you
such as mythology, biology, focus your reading and makes it easier to find textual evidence you have noted.
bacteriology, criminology,
ecology.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Enid Blyton (1897–1968) was born in London. She began writing at an early
age and was first published in 1917. Blyton studied to be a teacher and
My Notes taught for several years. She continued writing, publishing both poetry and
novels. She is believed to have written over 700 books, many of them stories
for children.

Myth

“Pandora and the

Whispering Box”
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.
From Enid Blyton’s Tales of Ancient Greece

1 Long, long ago, when the world was new, and no pain or sorrow was known,
Epimetheus lived with his beautiful young wife Pandora. They dwelt in a house made of
branches and leaves, for the sun shone always, and the wind was never cold.
2 Everyone was happy. Merry voices came on the breeze, and laughter was heard
everywhere. Epimetheus and Pandora were happiest of all, for they loved one another
very dearly, and were never apart.
3 One day, as they were dancing beneath the trees, they saw the god Mercury coming
towards them. He carried a wooden box on his shoulder, and looked tired and hot.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 4 “Ask him what he has in that box,” said Pandora to Epimetheus. But Mercury would
What aspects of the setting
not tell them.
and characterization
are included to give the 5 “That is not for you to know,” he answered. “Will you permit me to put my box in
impression of perfection? your dwelling and leave it there for a while? I have far to go, and the weight of it makes
my steps slow. I will call for it on my way back.”

60 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.15
continued

6 “We will take care of it for you,” said Epimetheus. “Put it in a corner of our house. It
will be safe there.” My Notes
7 “Do not open it,” said Mercury warningly. “You will never cease to regret it, if
you do.”
8 “We shall not even look at it,” said Epimetheus. “You need not fear, Mercury.”

9 So the god placed his box on the ground in a corner of Pandora’s dwelling. Then,
bidding the two farewell, he set off again through the forest.
10 Pandora was filled with curiosity to know what was in the box. She left Epimetheus
to dance with his companions and stole into the house alone. She looked at the box for a
long time, and then her eyes opened in astonishment.
11 The box was whispering! Little sighs and tiny sounds came from it. Pandora
felt more curious than ever. There must be something alive inside to make that KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
whispering noise. What can you infer
about the character of
12 She ran to the box and knelt down by it. It was very beautiful, made of finely-
Epimetheus? Support your
wrought dark wood, and on the top was a prettily carved head that seemed to smile
answer with an element
at Pandora. Round the box was a strong golden cord, tied in a tight knot. of characterization (what
13 The whispering went on and on. Pandora listened, but she could not hear what was he says, what he does,
said. Her fingers trembled to undo the cord–but just then Epimetheus came in to beg what others say, and his
her to come and play with him. appearance).

14 “Oh, Epimetheus, I wish I knew what was in this box,” Pandora said longingly. “Do
you think I might just peep?” KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
What can you infer
15 Epimetheus was shocked. about the character of
Pandora? Support your
16 “Mercury said that we were not to know,” he said. “Come away, Pandora. Come and
answer with an element
play with me in the sunshine, where everyone is happy.”
of characterization (what
17 But Pandora would not go. Epimetheus looked at her in surprise, and then, she says, what she does,
thinking that she would surely come if left her alone, he ran out to his comrades. what others say, and her
appearance).
18 Pandora heard the laughter and shouts of her friends, but she thought of nothing
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

but the whispering box. Would it matter if she just undid the golden cord? Surely she
could do that without harm.
19 She looked round to see if Epimetheus was really gone, then she turned eagerly to
the box. Her clever fingers worked at the golden cord, but it was so tight that she could
not loosen it for a long time.
20 “Pandora, Pandora, come and dance!” cried her companions outside. But the
maiden would not answer. She must undo the cord; she could not be happy until
she had.
21 She pulled and shook it. The cord was tight and difficult to untie. Pandora almost
gave it up. Then suddenly it loosened, and swiftly she undid it. The golden cord slid to
the floor—and there lay the box, ready to open at a touch.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 61

 ACTIVITY 1.15
In the Beginning
continued

22 “Now that I have undone the cord, it is stupid not to open the box,” thought the
My Notes maiden. “Shall I just lift up the lid, peep inside, and then let it drop? What harm could
that do to any one? I really must find out what makes the whispering noise.”
23 She put her ear to the lid, and listened. Then, quite clearly, she heard tiny voices.

24 “Pandora, sweet Pandora!” they said. “Let us out, we pray you! Our prison is so
dark and gloomy, will you not free us?”
25 The maiden was astonished. Should she free whatever was inside? As she was trying
to make up her mind, she heard Epimetheus coming again. She knew he would not
let her peep, but would tie up the box, so she hurriedly lifted up the lid to look inside
before he came.
26 Alas! Within the box were crammed all the sorrows, pains, and evils of the world!
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS As soon as Pandora lifted the lid, out they flew, tiny brown-winged creatures like moths.
What are the effects of They flew to Pandora and the surprised Epimetheus, and stung them. At once the two
Pandora’s curiosity? felt pain and anger for the first time. Then the brown-winged creatures flew out into the
forest, and fastening themselves on to the merry-makers there, changed their cries of
happiness to pain and dismay.
27 Epimetheus and Pandora began to quarrel. Pandora wept bitterly, and Epimetheus
scolded her angrily for opening the box. In the midst of their quarrel, they suddenly
heard a sweet voice calling to them. They stopped their angry words to listen.
28 The voice came from the box, which Pandora had hurriedly shut as soon as the
brown-winged creatures had flown out. It was a high voice, sweet and loving.
29 “Let me out, let me out!” it cried. “I will heal your sorrows, and bring you peace!
Only let me out!”
30 “Shall I open the box again?” said Pandora.

31 “Since you cannot do much more mischief than you have done already, you may as
well see what is left,” said Epimetheus gloomily.
32 So for the second time Pandora opened the box, and this time out flew, not a
brown-winged creature, but a little snowy-winged spirit. She was called Hope, and

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

had been crammed in at the bottom of all the evil creatures. It was her duty to heal the
wounds made by them, and to cheer up those whom they had visited.
33 She flew at once to Pandora and Epimetheus and, brushing the wounds on their
skin with her snowy wings, she healed them. Then off she flew to do the same for their
unhappy companions outside.
34 And thus because of Pandora’s foolish curiosity, sorrow, pain, and evil entered the
world, and have been with us ever since. But Hope stayed too, and while we have her,
we are content.

62 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.15
continued

After Reading
3. Use the graphic organizer to analyze the beginning of the story—its exposition. Literary Terms
The exposition of a story introduces the setting, characters, and conflict. Foreshadowing refers to
In addition, skim the story to find examples of foreshadowing. Authors use clues or hints signaling
foreshadowing to add suspense and expectation about what will happen in events that will occur later
a story. in the plot of a story.

Exposition Details from the Text Graphic Representation What is foreshadowed?

Setting

Character(s)
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Conflict

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 63

ACTIVITY 1.15
In the Beginning
continued

4. What techniques does the author use to create the exposition?

My Notes

5. Myths often try to explain natural phenomenon (such as earthquakes and

volcanos) or teach a lesson (such as “respect your elders”). While this myth
attempts to explain the origin of hope in human beings, it also has a lesson for
the reader. What is its lesson or theme?

Language and Writer’s Craft: Varied Sentence Patterns

Why is it important to vary your sentence patterns? Adding sentence variety gives
life and rhythm to writing. Too many sentences with the same structure and length
can become boring for readers. Varying sentence style and structure can also reduce
repetition and add emphasis. Long sentences work well for incorporating a lot of
information, and short sentences can often emphasize crucial points.
• Dialogue most often consists of short sentences in a simple pattern, usually
questions, comments, exclamations, or commands.
• The use of “and” as a coordinating conjunction creates longer sentences.

6. Return to the myth of “Pandora’s Box.” Choose a section of text to reread and
examine the sentences. Mark a variety of sentence patterns, and analyze the

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

beginnings of sentences. Take notes in the My Notes margin.
• Highlight a short sentence. What was the effect of the sentence length or
pattern?
• Underline a long sentence, and note when the coordinating conjunction “and”
is used. What is the effect of the sentence length or pattern?
• Identify a sentence that stands out to you. Is it long or short, and what is
its effect?

Writing Prompt: Think of another natural phenomenon or lesson people should

learn. Write the beginning or exposition to your own unique myth. Be sure to:
• Establish the story’s context by introducing the setting, characters, and conflict
of the story.
• Use figurative language.
• Use a variety of sentence lengths and patterns.

64 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 A Day of Change: Developing ACTIVITY

the Story 1.16

Learning Targets
• Analyze how conflicts in a story advance the plot’s rising action and climax. My Notes

Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: In the My Notes space, write about a best (or worst) birthday or
other special occasion. Include a description of what happened as well as how
you felt at the time.

During Reading
2. As you read this short story, mark the elements of exposition (setting, character,
and initial conflict) and the major events in the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandra Cisneros grew up in Chicago and now lives in San Antonio, Texas.
One of her best-known novels, The House on Mango Street, reveals the life
of a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. In talking about
her writing, Cisneros says she creates stories from things that have touched
her deeply; “ . . . in real life a story doesn’t have shape, and it’s the writer
that gives it a beginning, a middle, and an end.”

Short Story

Eleven
from Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, by Sandra Cisneros
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

1 What they don’t understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is
that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and
five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh
birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you don’t. You open your eyes and everything’s
just like yesterday, only it’s today. And you don’t feel eleven at all. You feel like you’re
still ten. And you are—underneath the year that makes you eleven.
2 Like some days you might say something stupid, and that’s the part of you that’s
still ten. Or maybe some days you might need to sit on your mama’s lap because you’re
scared, and that’s the part of you that’s five. And maybe one day when you’re all grown
up maybe you will need to cry like if you’re three, and that’s okay. That’s what I tell GRAMMAR USAGE
Mama when she’s sad and needs to cry. Maybe she’s feeling three. Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns refer
3 Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree
to nonspecific persons
trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the
or things. In this excerpt,
next one. That’s how being eleven years old is.
Rachel mentions everybody,
4 You don’t feel eleven. Not right away. It takes a few days, weeks even, sometimes somebody, nobody. These
even months before you say Eleven when they ask you. And you don’t feel smart eleven, indefinite pronouns refer
not until you’re almost twelve. That’s the way it is. to people who are not
specifically named.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 65

 ACTIVITY 1.16
A Day of Change: Developing
continued the Story
5 Only today I wish I didn’t have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in
My Notes a tin Band-Aid box. Today I wish I was one hundred and two instead of eleven because
if I was one hundred and two I’d have known what to say when Mrs. Price put the red
sweater on my desk. I would’ve known how to tell her it wasn’t mine instead of just
sitting there with that look on my face and nothing coming out of my mouth.
6 “Whose is this?” Mrs. Price says, and she holds the red sweater up in the air for all
the class to see. “Whose? It’s been sitting in the coatroom for a month.”
7 “Not mine,” says everybody. “Not me.”

8 “It has to belong to somebody,” Mrs. Price keeps saying, but nobody can remember.
It’s an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like
you could use it for a jump rope. It’s maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS to me I wouldn’t say so.
What can you infer about the
conflict of the story? How is it 9 Maybe because I’m skinny, maybe because she doesn’t like me, that stupid Sylvia
both internal and external? Saldívar says, “I think it belongs to Rachel.” An ugly sweater like that, all raggedy and
old, but Mrs. Price believes her. Mrs. Price takes the sweater and puts it right on my
desk, but when I open my mouth nothing comes out.
10 “That’s not, I don’t, you’re not . . . Not mine,” I finally say in a little voice that was
maybe me when I was four.
11 “Of course it’s yours,” Mrs. Price says. “I remember you wearing it once.” Because
she’s older and the teacher, she’s right and I’m not.
12 Not mine, not mine, not mine, but Mrs. Price is already turning to page thirty-
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS two, and math problem number four. I don’t know why but all of a sudden I’m feeling
How does Cisneros show the sick inside, like the part of me that’s three wants to come out of my eyes, only I squeeze
transition from one event to them shut tight and bite down on my teeth real hard and try to remember today I am
another? eleven, eleven. Mama is making a cake for me for tonight, and when Papa comes home
everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you.
13 But when the sick feeling goes away and I open my eyes, the red sweater’s still
sitting there like a big red mountain. I move the red sweater to the corner of my desk
with my ruler. I move my pencil and books and eraser as far from it as possible. I even

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

move my chair a little to the right. Not mine, not mine, not mine.

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 14 In my head I’m thinking how long till lunchtime, how long till I can take the red
What is the effect of a sweater and throw it over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking meter,
sentence that repeats short or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it in the alley. Except when math period ends,
phrases such as “Not mine, Mrs. Price says loud and in front of everybody, “Now, Rachel, that’s enough,” because
not mine, not mine?” How she sees I’ve shoved the red sweater to the tippy-tip corner of my desk and it’s hanging
does this sentence type help all over the edge like a waterfall, but I don’t care.
develop the story?
15 “Rachel,” Mrs. Price says. She says it like she’s getting mad. “You put that sweater on
right now and no more nonsense.”
16 “But it’s not—”

17 “Now!” Mrs. Price says.

18 This is when I wish I wasn’t eleven, because all the years inside of me—ten, nine,
eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one—are pushing at the back of my eyes
when I put one arm through one sleeve of the sweater that smells like cottage cheese,
and then the other arm through the other and stand there with my arms apart like if the
sweater hurts me and it does, all itchy and full of germs that aren’t even mine.

66 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.16
continued

19 That’s when everything I’ve been holding in since this morning, since when Mrs. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Price put the sweater on my desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden I’m crying in front How does Cisneros’ use
of everybody. I wish I was invisible but I’m not. I’m eleven and it’s my birthday today of figurative language and
and I’m crying like I’m three in front of everybody. I put my head down on the desk sensory detail demonstrate
and bury my face in my stupid clown-sweater arms. My face all hot and spit coming out Rachel’s emotions?
of my mouth because I can’t stop the little animal noises from coming out of me, until
there aren’t any more tears left in my eyes, and it’s just my body shaking like when you KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
have the hiccups, and my whole head hurts like when you drink milk too fast. Summarize how the conflict
is resolved. What is the
20 But the worst part is right before the bell rings for lunch. That stupid Phyllis Lopez,
effect of this incident on
who is even dumber than Sylvia Saldívar, says she remembers the red sweater is hers! I
Rachel?
take it off right away and give it to her, only Mrs. Price pretends like everything’s okay.
21 Today I’m eleven. There’s a cake Mama’s making for tonight, and when Papa comes
home from work we’ll eat it. There’ll be candles and presents, and everybody will sing My Notes
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Rachel, only it’s too late.
22 I’m eleven today. I’m eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and
one, but I wish I was one hundred and two. I wish I was anything but eleven, because I
want today to be far away already, far away like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the
sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.

After Reading
3. What can you infer about Rachel’s teacher, Mrs. Price, based on her dialogue
with Rachel?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 67

 ACTIVITY 1.16
Day of Change: Developing
continued the Story
4. Use the graphic organizer below to list the conflicts Rachel faces in “Eleven.”
WORD Be sure to consider both Rachel’s external and internal conflicts.
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
Conflicts (problems) Rachel faces Is the conflict resolved?
Internal and external derive
from the Latin interus (“placed
on the inside”) and exterus
(“placed on the outside”). The
word part inter-, meaning “in
between,” is found in such
words as interior, interface,
and intermission.
The word part exter- (also
spelled extra- and extro-)
means “outside” or
“beyond.” It appears in
words like extreme, extrovert,
extracurricular, and extract.

My Notes

5. What is the theme of this story?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

68 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.16
continued

6. Focusing on the rising action and climax of the story, list events in the
appropriate places on the plot diagram. My Notes

Plot Diagram Climax

n
tio
Ac
g
sin
Ri

Fal
Conflict

ling
Act
ion
Exposition
Resolution

Writing Prompt: Make up a brief dialogue between Rachel and another person
in the story, focusing on one conflict from the text. Use the same exposition, but
change the rising action and climax. Consider having Rachel talk to her teacher
about the misunderstanding or having Rachel confront Phyllis about not claiming
the red sweater. Be sure to:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• To sequence events logically focus on a conflict to develop the rising action and
climax.
• Use dialogue and dialogue tags.
• Use figurative language and varied syntax.

Save this writing prompt response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas
for the original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 69

ACTIVITY In the End
1.17

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze the resolution to a short story.
Activating Prior Knowledge,
Graphic Organizer, Brainstorming, • Create a thematic statement about the story, using textual evidence.
Marking the Text
Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: What does the idea of treasure bring to mind? How can a treasure
be something abstract rather than an object to be touched and handled?
My Notes

During Reading
2. To make meaning of the text, do a close reading in which you mark the text
(highlight, underline, circle, take notes) to indicate the setting, important
aspects of characterization, the action of the plot, and ideas you might have
about the theme of the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Walter Dean Myers (1937 – ) has been writing since he was a child. He
published his first book, Where Does the Day Go?, in 1969. He has since
written many books for children and young adults, two of which—Scorpions
and Somewhere in the Darkness—have received Newbery Honors. His
stories focus on the challenges and triumphs of growing up in a difficult
environment. His memoir, Bad Boy, reveals how he overcame racial
challenges and his own shortcomings to become a very successful author.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Short Story

“The Treasure of Lemon Brown”

by Walter Dean Myers

1 The dark sky, filled with angry, swirling clouds, reflected Greg Ridley’s mood as
he sat on the stoop of his building. His father’s voice came to him again, first reading
the letter the principal had sent to the house, then lecturing endlessly about his poor
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS efforts in math.
Explain how specific aspects 2 “I had to leave school when I was thirteen,” his father had said, “that’s a year
of the setting create an
younger than you are now. If I’d had half the chances you have, I’d . . .”
atmosphere that fits the
action at the beginning of the 3 Greg sat in the small, pale green kitchen listening, knowing the lecture would end
story. with his father saying he couldn’t play ball with the Scorpions. He had asked his father
the week before, and his father had said it depended on his next report card. It wasn’t

70 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.17
continued

often the Scorpions took on new players, especially fourteen-year-olds, and this was a
chance of a lifetime for Greg. He hadn’t been allowed to play high school ball, which GRAMMAR USAGE
he had really wanted to do, but playing for the Community Center team was the next Possessive Pronouns
best thing. Report cards were due in a week, and Greg had been hoping for the best. But In addition to being subjects
the principal had ended the suspense early when she sent the letter saying Greg would and objects, pronouns can
probably fail math if he didn’t spend more time studying. also be possessive, meaning
4 “And you want to play basketball?” His father’s brows knitted over deep brown that they show possession.
Possessive pronouns include
eyes. “That must be some kind of a joke. Now you just get into your room and hit
mine, hers, his, theirs, ours,
those books.”
and its. Note the possessive
5 That had been two nights before. His father’s words, like the distant thunder that pronouns the author uses in
now echoed through the streets of Harlem, still rumbled softly in his ears. this text.
6 It was beginning to cool. Gusts of wind made bits of paper dance between the
parked cars. There was a flash of nearby lightning, and soon large drops of rain splashed
onto his jeans. He stood to go upstairs, thought of the lecture that probably awaited
him if he did anything except shut himself in his room with his math book, and started My Notes
walking down the street instead. Down the block there was an old tenement that had
been abandoned for some months. Some of the guys had held an impromptu checker
tournament there the week before, and Greg had noticed that the door, once boarded
over, had been slightly ajar.
7 Pulling his collar up as high as he could, he checked for traffic and made a dash
across the street. He reached the house just as another flash of lightning changed the
night to day for an instant, then returned the graffiti-scarred building to the grim
shadows. He vaulted over the outer stairs and pushed tentatively on the door. It was
open, and he let himself in.
8 The inside of the building was dark except for the dim light that filtered through
the dirty windows from the streetlamps. There was a room a few feet from the door, and KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
from where he stood in the entrance, Greg could see a squarish patch of light on the What sensory details can
floor. He entered the room, frowning at the musty smell. It was a large room that might you find in paragraphs
have been someone’s parlor at one time. Squinting, Greg could see an old table on its 8–12? If possible, name one
side against one wall, what looked like a pile of rags or a torn mattress in the corner, and for each sense: taste, smell,
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

a couch, with one side broken, in front of the window. touch, sight, and hearing.
9 He went to the couch. The side that wasn’t broken was comfortable enough, though
a little creaky. From the spot he could see the blinking neon sign over the bodega on the
corner. He sat awhile, watching the sign blink first green then red, allowing his mind
to drift to the Scorpions, then to his father. His father had been a postal worker for all
Greg’s life, and was proud of it, often telling Greg how hard he had worked to pass the
test. Greg had heard the story too many times to be interested now.
10 For a moment Greg thought he heard something that sounded like a scraping
against the wall. He listened carefully, but it was gone.
11 Outside the wind had picked up, sending the rain against the window with a force
that shook the glass in its frame. A car passed, its tires hissing over the wet street and its
red taillights glowing in the darkness.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 71

 ACTIVITY 1.17
In the End
continued

12 Greg thought he heard the noise again. His stomach tightened as he held himself
My Notes still and listened intently. There weren’t any more scraping noises, but he was sure he
had heard something in the darkness—something breathing!
13 He tried to figure out just where the breathing was coming from; he knew it was in
the room with him. Slowly he stood, tensing. As he turned, a flash of lightning lit up the
room, frightening him with its sudden brilliance. He saw nothing, just the overturned
table, the pile of rags and an old newspaper on the floor. Could he have been imagining
the sounds? He continued listening, but heard nothing and thought that it might have
just been rats. Still, he thought, as soon as the rain let up he would leave. He went to the
window and was about to look when he heard a voice behind him.
14 “Don’t try nothin’ ‘cause I got a razor sharp enough to cut a week into nine days!”

15 Greg, except for an involuntary tremor in his knees, stood stock still. The voice was
high and brittle, like dry twigs being broken, surely not one he had ever heard before.
There was a shuffling sound as the person who had been speaking moved a step closer.
Greg turned, holding his breath, his eyes straining to see in the dark room.
16 The upper part of the figure before him was still in darkness. The lower half was in
the dim rectangle of light that fell unevenly from the window. There were two feet, in
cracked, dirty shoes from which rose legs that were wrapped in rags.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 17 “Who are you?” Greg hardly recognized his own voice.
The author distinguishes
18 “I’m Lemon Brown,” came the answer. “Who’re you?”
Greg from Lemon by the way
they speak. How would you 19 “Greg Ridley.”
describe Lemon Brown, based
20 “What you doing here?” The figure shuffled forward again, and Greg took a small
on what he says? How would
you describe Greg? step backward.
21 “It’s raining,” Greg said.

22 “I can see that,” the figure said.

23 The person who called himself Lemon Brown peered forward, and Greg could see
him clearly. He was an old man. His black, heavily wrinkled face was surrounded by a

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers that seemed to separate his head from the layers
of dirty coats piled on his smallish frame. His pants were bagged to the knee, where
they were met with rags that went down to the old shoes. The rags were held on with
strings, and there was a rope around his middle. Greg relaxed. He had seen the man
before, picking through the trash on the corner and pulling clothes out of a Salvation
Army box. There was no sign of a razor that could “cut a week into nine days.”
24 “What are you doing here?” Greg asked.

25 “This is where I’m staying,” Lemon Brown said. “What you here for?” “Told you
it was raining out,” Greg said, leaning against the back of the couch until he felt it
give slightly.
26 “Ain’t you got no home?”

27 “I got a home,” Greg answered.

28 “You ain’t one of them bad boys looking for my treasure, is you?” Lemon Brown
cocked his head to one side and squinted one eye. “Because I told you I got me a razor.”

72 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.17
continued

29 “I’m not looking for your treasure,” Greg answered, smiling. “If you have one.”

30 “What you mean, if I have one.” Lemon Brown said. “Every man got a treasure. You My Notes
don’t know that, you must be a fool!”
31 “Sure,” Greg said as he sat on the sofa and put one leg over the back. “What do you
have, gold coins?”
32 “Don’t worry none about what I got,” Lemon Brown said. “You know who I am?”

33 “You told me your name was orange or lemon or something like that.

34 “Lemon Brown,” the old man said, pulling back his shoulders as he did so,” they
used to call me Sweet Lemon Brown.”
35 “Sweet Lemon?” Greg asked.

36 “Yessir. Sweet Lemon Brown. They used to say I sung the blues so sweet that if I
sang at a funeral, the dead would commence to rocking with the beat. Used to travel all
over Mississippi and as far as Monroe, Louisiana, and east on over to Macon, Georgia.
You mean you ain’t never heard of Sweet Lemon Brown?”
37 “Afraid not,” Greg said. “What . . . happened to you?”

38 “Hard times, boy. Hard times always after a poor man. One day I got tired, sat
down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.”
39 “Sorry about that.”

40 “What you doing here? How come you don’t go in home when the rain come? Rain
don’t bother you young folks none.”
41 “Just didn’t.” Greg looked away.

42 “I used to have a knotty-headed boy just like you.” Lemon Brown had half walked,
half shuffled back to the corner and sat down against the wall. “Had them big eyes like
you got. I used to call them moon eyes. Look into them moon eyes and see anything
you want.”
43 “How come you gave up singing the blues?” Greg asked.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

44 “Didn’t give it up,” Lemon Brown said. “You don’t give up the blues; they give you
up. After a while you do good for yourself, and it ain’t nothing but foolishness singing
about how hard you got it. Ain’t that right?”
45 “I guess so.”

46 “What’s that noise?” Lemon Brown asked, suddenly sitting upright. Greg listened,
and he heard a noise outside. He looked at Lemon Brown and saw the old man pointing
toward the window.
47 Greg went to the window and saw three men, neighborhood thugs, on the stoop.
One was carrying a length of pipe. Greg looked back toward Lemon Brown, who
moved quietly across the room to the window. The old man looked out, then beckoned
frantically for Greg to follow him. For a moment Greg couldn’t move.
Then he found himself following Lemon Brown into the hallway and up the
darkened stairs. Greg followed as closely as he could. They reached the top of the stairs,
and Greg felt Lemon Brown’s hand first lying on his shoulder, then probing down his
arm until he took Greg’s hand into his own as they crouched in the darkness.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 73

ACTIVITY 1.17
In the End
continued

48 “They’s bad men,” Lemon Brown whispered. His breath was warm against
My Notes Greg’s skin.
49 “Hey! Rag man!” A voice called. “We know you in here. What you got up under
them rags? You got any money?”
50 Silence.

51 “We don’t want to have to come in and hurt you, old man, but we don’t mind if we
have to.”
52 Lemon Brown squeezed Greg’s hand in his own hard, gnarled fist. There was a
banging downstairs and a light as the men entered.
53 They banged around noisily, calling for the rag man.

54 “We heard you talking about your treasure.” The voice was slurred. “We just want to
see it, that’s all.”
55 “You sure he’s here?” One voice seemed to come from the room with the sofa.

56 “Yeah, he stays here every night.”

57 “There’s another room over there; I’m going to take a look. You got that flashlight?”

58 “Yeah, here, take the pipe too.”

59 Greg opened his mouth to quiet the sound of his breath as he sucked it in uneasily.
A beam of light hit the wall a few feet opposite him, then went out.
60 “Ain’t nobody in that room,” a voice said. “You think he gone or something?”

61 “I don’t know,” came the answer. “All I know is that I heard him talking about some
kind of treasure. You know they found that shopping bag lady with that load of money
in her bags.”
62 “Yeah. You think he’s upstairs?”

63 “HEY, OLD MAN, ARE YOU UP THERE?” Silence.

64 “Watch my back. I’m going up.”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

65 There was a footstep on the stairs, and the beam from the flashlight danced crazily
along the peeling wallpaper. Greg held his breath. There was another step and a loud
crashing noise as the man banged the pipe against the wooden banister. Greg could
feel his temples throb as the man slowly neared them. Greg thought about the pipe,
wondering what he would do when the man reached them—what he could do.
66 Then Lemon Brown released his hand and moved toward the top of the stairs. Greg
looked around and saw stairs going up to the next floor. He tried waving to Lemon
Brown, hoping the old man would see him in the dim light and follow him to the next
floor. Maybe, Greg thought, the men wouldn’t follow them up there. Suddenly, though,
Lemon Brown stood at the top of the stairs, both arms raised high above his head.
67 “There he is!” A voice cried from below.

68 “Throw down your money, old man, so I won’t have to bash your head in!”

74 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.17
continued

69 Lemon Brown didn’t move. Greg felt himself near panic. The steps came closer, and
still Lemon Brown didn’t move. He was an eerie sight, a bundle of rags standing at the My Notes
top of the stairs, his shadow on the wall looming over him. Maybe, the thought came to
Greg, the scene could be even eerier.
70 Greg wet his lips, put his hands to his mouth and tried to make a sound. Nothing
came out. He swallowed hard, wet his lips once more and howled as evenly as he could.
71 “What’s that?”

72 As Greg howled, the light moved away from Lemon Brown, but not before Greg
saw him hurl his body down the stairs at the men who had come to take his treasure.
There was a crashing noise, and then footsteps. A rush of warm air came in as the
downstairs door opened, then there was only an ominous silence. Greg stood on the
landing. He listened, and after a while there was another sound on the staircase.
73 “Mr. Brown?” he called.

74 “Yeah, it’s me,” came the answer. “I got their flashlight.”

75 Greg exhaled in relief as Lemon Brown made his way slowly back up the stairs.

76 “You OK?”

77 “Few bumps and bruises,” Lemon Brown said.

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
78 “I think I’d better be going,” Greg said, his breath returning to normal. “You’d
What is the effect of
better leave, too, before they come back.” the short sentences of
79 “They may hang around for a while,” Lemon Brown said, “but they ain’t getting dialogue? What does
their nerve up to come in here again. Not with crazy rag men and howling spooks. it show about how the
Best you stay a while till the coast is clear. I’m heading out west tomorrow, out to characters are feeling at
East St. Louis.” this point in the story?

80 “They were talking about treasures,” Greg said. “You really have a treasure?”
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
81 “What I tell you? Didn’t I tell you every man got a treasure?” Lemon Brown said. In what ways does the
“You want to see mine?” introduction of the
“scalawags” or the
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

82 “If you want to show it to me,” Greg shrugged. “bad men” change the
83 “Let’s look out the window first, see what them scoundrels be doing,” Lemon relationship between
Brown said. Lemon Brown and Greg?

84 They followed the oval beam of the flashlight into one of the rooms and looked out
the window. They saw the men who had tried to take the treasure sitting on the curb
near the corner. One of them had his pants leg up, looking at his knee.
85 “You sure you’re not hurt?” Greg asked Lemon Brown.

86 “Nothing that ain’t been hurt before,” Lemon Brown said. “When you get as old as
me all you say when something hurts is, ‘Howdy, Mr. Pain, sees you back again.’ Then
when Mr. Pain see he can’t worry you none, he go on mess with somebody else.”
87 Greg smiled.

88 “Here, you hold this.” Lemon Brown gave Greg the flashlight.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 75

 ACTIVITY 1.17
In the End
continued

89 He sat on the floor near Greg and carefully untied the strings that held the rags
My Notes on his right leg. When he took the rags away, Greg saw a piece of plastic. The old man
carefully took off the plastic and unfolded it. He revealed some yellowed newspaper
clippings and a battered harmonica.
90 “There it be,” he said, nodding his head. “There it be.”

91 Greg looked at the old man, saw the distant look in his eye, then turned to the
clippings. They told of Sweet Lemon Brown, a blues singer and harmonica player
who was appearing at different theaters in the South. One of the clippings said he had
been the hit of the show, although not the headliner. All of the clippings were reviews
of shows Lemon Brown had been in more than fifty years ago. Greg looked at the
harmonica. It was dented badly on one side, with the reed holes on one end nearly
closed.
92 “I used to travel around and make money to feed my wife and Jesse—that’s my
boy’s name. Used to feed them good, too. Then his mama died, and he stayed with his
mama’s sister. He growed up to be a man, and when the war come he saw fit to go off
and fight in it. I didn’t have nothing to give him except these things that told him who
I was, and what he come from. If you know your pappy did something, you know you
can do something too.
93 “Anyway, he went off to war, and I went off still playing and singing. ‘Course by
then I wasn’t as much as I used to be, not without somebody to make it worth the while.
You know what I mean?”
94 “Yeah.” Greg nodded, not quite really knowing.

95 “I traveled around, and one time I come home, and there was this letter saying Jesse
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
got killed in the war. Broke my heart, it truly did.
Literally, what is Lemon
Brown’s treasure? Why does it 96 “They sent back what he had with him over there, and what it was is this old mouth
mean so much to him? fiddle and these clippings. Him carrying it around with him like that told me it meant
something to him. That was my treasure, and when I give it to him he treated it just like
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS that, a treasure. Ain’t that something?”
Why is the third-person point
97 “Yeah, I guess so,” Greg said.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

of view an effective way to
tell this story? What would 98 “You guess so?” Lemon Brown’s voice rose an octave as he started to put his
happen if it were told in first- treasure back into the plastic. “Well, you got to guess ‘cause you sure don’t know
person point of view? How nothing. Don’t know enough to get home when it’s raining.”
would the story change?
99 “I guess . . . I mean, you’re right.”

100 “You OK for a youngster,” the old man said as he tied the strings around his leg,
“better than those scalawags what come here looking for my treasure. That’s for sure.”
101 “You really think that treasure of yours was worth fighting for?” Greg asked.
“Against a pipe?”
102 “What else a man got ‘cepting what he can pass on to his son, or his daughter, if she
be his oldest?” Lemon Brown said. “For a big-headed boy you sure do ask the foolishest
questions.”

76 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.17
continued

103 Lemon Brown got up after patting his rags in place and looked out the window
again. “Looks like they’re gone. You get on out of here and get yourself home. I’ll be My Notes
watching from the window so you’ll be all right.”
104 Lemon Brown went down the stairs behind Greg. When they reached the front
door the old man looked out first, saw the street was clear and told Greg to scoot on
home.
105 “You sure you’ll be OK?” Greg asked.

106 “Now didn’t I tell you I was going to East St. Louis in the morning?” Lemon Brown
asked. “Don’t that sound OK to you?”
107 “Sure it does,” Greg said. “Sure it does. And you take care of that treasure of yours.”

108 “That I’ll do,” Lemon said, the wrinkles around his eyes suggesting a smile.
“That I’ll do.”
109 The night had warmed and the rain had stopped, leaving puddles at the curbs. Greg
didn’t even want to think how late it was. He thought ahead of what his father would say
and wondered if he should tell him about Lemon Brown. He thought about it until he
reached his stoop, and decided against it. Lemon Brown would be OK, Greg thought,
with his memories and his treasure.
110 Greg pushed the button over the bell marked Ridley, thought of the lecture he knew
his father would give him, and smiled.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 77

ACTIVITY 1.17
In the End
continued

After Reading
My Notes 3. Collaborative Discussion: What are your initial reactions to the ending of this
story? Were you surprised? If so, what surprised you?
4. What is the theme of “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”? Complete this sentence:
“The Treasure of Lemon Brown” is a story about…

5. Write a theme statement, a sentence, using the theme you described.

6. Now, transform your theme statement into a question to use in a collaborative

discussion.

7. Return to the story and mark the text to answer the following question:
What is the portion of the story that makes up the falling action and resolution?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding
Writing Prompt: Think of an extension to the ending of this story. What could
have happened differently to resolve the conflict? What will be different when Greg
returns home? Transform the original ending of the story by writing a new ending.
Be sure to:
• Focus on resolving the conflict in the falling action and resolution in order to
convey a theme.
• Use dialogue and dialogue tags.
• Use figurative language and varied sentence structure.

78 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Analyzing a Story ACTIVITY
1.18

Learning Targets
• Analyze how objects change over time. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Close Reading, Marking
• Interpret text passages and create images to represent meaning. the Text, Rereading, Think
Aloud, Visualizing, Sketching
Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: How has technology changed just since you were born?

My Notes

During Reading
2. The short story you are about to read was written in 1951. Think about the
developments in technology since that time. IBM introduced the personal
computer in August of 1981—30 years after this story was written. As your
teacher first reads the story aloud, listen for clues about the setting of the story. Literary Terms
Science fiction is a genre
in which the imaginary
ABOUT THE AUTHOR elements of the story could
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was a very prolific writer. He wrote nearly five be scientifically possible.
hundred books on a variety of subjects—science, history, literature, medicine, It differs from fantasy in
but mainly science fiction. He started writing science fiction stories as a that it is possible that the
teenager. Always interested in robots, he anticipated the many uses they have story could happen. Stories
today. The movie I, Robot was based on Asimov’s writings about robots and that are fantasy are based
technology. I, Robot was also the title of Asimov’s first book of short stories. on things that could not
happen in real life.

Short Story

Fun They Had”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“The
by Isaac Asimov
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
1 Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17, What details of the
2157, she wrote, “Today, Tommy found a real book!” exposition make the time
of the story specific? Notice
2 It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little that the author has made a
boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed point of creating a specific
on paper. setting and has made the
main characters children.
3 They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny How does this help you
to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to–on a predict the conflict?
screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same
words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
4 “Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just
throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s
good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 79

 ACTIVITY 1.18
Analyzing a Story
continued

5 “Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks
My Notes as Tommy had. He was thirteen. She said, “Where did you find it?”
6 “In my house.” He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. “In the
attic.” “What’s it about?” “School.”
7 Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”

8 Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. The mechanical
teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse
and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County
Inspector.
9 He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and
wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie
had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right,
and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen
on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad.
The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test
papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she
was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.
10 The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS to her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs. Jones. I think the geography sector was
Part of this story tells of an geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average
incident in a different time, ten-year level. Actually, the over-all pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he
which is called a flashback. patted Margie’s head again.
Mark the part of the story
that occurs at another time 11 Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away
in Margie’s life. What is the altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the
purpose of this flashback? history sector had blanked out completely.
12 So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”

13 Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school,
stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.”
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

14 Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time
ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a
teacher.”
15 “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.” “A man?
How could a man be a teacher?” “Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave
them homework and asked them questions.” “A man isn’t smart enough.” “Sure he is.
My father knows as much as my teacher.” “He can’t. A man can’t know as much as a
teacher.” “He knows almost as much, I betcha.”
16 Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in
my house to teach me.”
17 Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers
didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.” “And all
the kids learned the same thing?” “Sure, if they were the same age.”
18 “But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and
girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
19 “Just the same, they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to
read the book.”

80 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 1.18
continued

20 “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those
funny schools. My Notes
21 They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”
Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.”
22 “Now!” said Mrs. Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”

23 Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”

24 “Maybe,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book
tucked beneath his arm.
25 Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the
mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every
day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if
they learned at regular hours.
26 The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of
proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”
27 Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when
her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood
came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could Does Margie’s attitude
help one another on the homework and talk about it. toward school change
by the end of the story?
28 And the teachers were people... Explain.
29 The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add the fractions 1/2
and 1/4...” KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Did the author intend
30 Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was the last sentence to be
thinking about the fun they had. humorous or serious?
Explain your answer.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 81

 ACTIVITY 1.18
Analyzing a Story
continued

After Reading
INDEPENDENT
3. Reread the text and mark it for the following:
READING LINK
What sorts of conflicts have • Exposition
occurred in the book you • Rising action
are reading independently? • Climax
What problems, struggles, or
obstacles have the characters • Falling action
faced? • Resolution

Share your marked passages with a partner. With your partner, create a story
board to demonstrate your understanding of the text. For each panel, include a
My Notes drawing that symbolizes a key moment for that part in the plot, and include textual
evidence to support the drawing.

Check Your Understanding

The theme or main idea of this story is about our relationship to technology. What
is Asimov suggesting about technology? Include your interpretation of Asimov’s
choice of title for the short story.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

82 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Sparking Ideas ACTIVITY
1.19

Learning Targets
• Analyze picture books for images that spark writing ideas. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Predicting, Previewing, Visual
• Write a short story with characters, conflict, plot, and sensory details. Prompt, Graphic Organizer,
Brainstorming, Mapping,
1. When you hear the word “mystery,” what do you think of? What do you think Prewriting, Drafting
makes a good mystery?

My Notes
2. Chris Van Allsburg has written several books that are mysteries. Among some of
his best-known books are the following:

• The Polar Express • Jumanji

• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick • The Stranger
• The Wreck of the Zephyr • The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Find copies of these or other picture books and write questions about particular
pictures that intrigue you. Using one or more of the images as your inspiration,
write freely to draft a story.

3. Select one of your freewrites to develop further. Before you continue to draft,
plan your story. Think about your main character, such as a name, age, favorite
hobby, behaviors and actions, accomplishments. Use a graphic organizer like
the one below to plan your characters.

Characterization
Describe your main character’s appearance. What does this appearance say about
your character?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Describe some of your main character’s actions. What do these actions say about your character?

Other Characters Details About These Characters

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 83

 ACTIVITY 1.19
Sparking Ideas
continued

4. What words or phrases could you include from each sense (taste, touch, sight,
INDEPENDENT smell, hearing) in your story? What vivid verbs and connotative diction help
READING LINK show that sense? What figurative language could you use?
Investigate how the author
of your independent reading
book uses sensory details.
Record your favorite sensory
words, phrases, and sentences
from this book in your Reader/
Writer Notebook.

My Notes

5. Consider your plot. What is the main conflict or problem? How will it be solved?
How can you add a twist? How will you introduce the setting and characters?
How can you build to the climax?

Writing Prompt: Draft a short story, adding the elements you’ve brainstormed as
you write. Be sure to:
• Sequence events logically using elements of plot.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Use characterization and dialogue to develop conflict.
• Use language purposefully (e.g., figurative and/or sensory details and a variety
of sentences).

Save this writing prompt response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas
for the original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.

84 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Writing a Short Story EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2

Assignment
Write a story using dialogue, vivid verbs, and figurative language that captures My Notes
a real or imagined experience and includes characters, conflict, and a plot with
exposition, climax, and resolution.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for your short story.
• Review the unit activities and your Reader/Writer Notebook for ideas. What
activities have you completed that will help you as you create a short story with
the required elements?
• What would you like your short story to be about? What prewriting strategies
can you use to help you create ideas?

Drafting: Decide the structure of your story and how you will incorporate
the elements of a short story.
• How will you make use of the story starters in the unit to help you create and
develop a short story?
• Will you work from a plot diagram or an outline of a story idea? Is there another
way you can create a structure that develops the characters and plot of your
story?

Evaluating and Revising: Create opportunities to review and revise in

order to make your work the best it can be.
• During the process of drafting, have you paused at points to share and respond
with others to learn how well you are integrating the necessary narrative
techniques into your short story?
• Is your story developing as you want it to? Are you willing to change your story if
you must? Once you get suggestions, are you creating a plan to include revision
ideas in your draft?
• Have you used the Scoring Guide to help you evaluate how well your draft
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

includes the requirements of the assignment?

Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm your final draft is ready for
publication.
• How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy?
• Have you verified spelling?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this assignment, and answer this question: How did you make sure
your final draft was the best it could be in terms of spelling, vocabulary use, and
conventions for punctuating and writing dialogue?
Technology TIP:

Use online dictionaries,

thesauruses, or other
resources for checking
spelling and grammar in
your short story.

Unit 1 • Stories of Change 85

EMBEDDED
Writing aTitle
Activity ShortActivity
Story Title
ASSESSMENT 2 Activity Title
SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The short story The short story The short story The short story
• develops a focused • presents and • presents an • lacks a conflict
and compelling develops a focused undeveloped or • does not establish
conflict conflict unclear conflict setting, character(s),
• establishes an • establishes a setting, • establishes setting, and/or point of view
interesting setting, character(s), and character(s), and • uses minimal
character(s), and point of view point of view narrative techniques.
point of view • uses sufficient unevenly
• uses a variety of narrative techniques • uses partial or weak
narrative techniques to advance the plot, narrative techniques
effectively to advance such as dialogue and to advance the plot.
the plot. descriptive detail.

Structure The short story The short story The short story The short story
• engages and orients • orients the reader • provides weak or • lacks exposition
the reader with with adequate vague exposition • sequences events in
exposition exposition • sequences events in the plot illogically or
• sequences events • sequences events the plot unevenly incompletely
in the plot logically in the plot logically • uses inconsistent, • uses few or no
and naturally to add (rising action, climax, repetitive, or basic transitional
interest or suspense falling action) transitional words, strategies
• uses a variety • uses transitional phrases, and clauses • lacks a resolution.
of transitional words, phrases, and • provides a weak
strategies effectively clauses to link events or disconnected
and purposefully and signal shifts resolution.
• provides a thoughtful • provides a logical
resolution. resolution.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Use of The short story The short story The short story The short story
Language • uses connotative • uses adequate • uses weak or • uses limited, vague,
diction, vivid verbs, connotative diction, inconsistent diction, and unclear diction
figurative language, vivid verbs, figurative verbs, figurative and language
and sensory language, and language, and • lacks command of
language effectively sensory language sensory language the conventions of
• demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates partial standard English
command of the adequate command or inconsistent capitalization,
conventions of of the conventions command of the punctuation,
standard English of standard English conventions of spelling, grammar,
capitalization, capitalization, standard English and usage; frequent
punctuation, spelling, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, errors interfere with
grammar, and usage grammar, and usage punctuation, spelling, meaning.
(including pronouns, (including pronouns, grammar, and usage
sentence patterns, sentence patterns, (including pronouns,
and dialogue). and dialogue). sentence patterns,
and dialogue).

86 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 UNIT

The Power
to Change
Visual Prompt: Plants change from one season to another and often grow in unexpected places.
What trait would this plant show that you might use in your own goals for change?

Unit Overview
Where do we get the power to change? How do
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

both internal and external forces help us see

the world from a new perspective and possibly
even change the course of our lives? In this
unit, you will go on a journey with Salamanca
Tree Hiddle, the main character of the novel
Walk Two Moons, as she searches for her
missing mother. You will travel to Paradise

adventure and finds instead a talking dog. You

will reflect and write about changes in fictional
characters, in the world, and in yourself.
Finally, you will conduct research and read
nonfiction in order to write about how animals
have the power to change our lives for
the better.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 87

UNIT The Power to Change
2

GOALS: Contents
• To analyze literary elements
Activities
• To apply a variety of reading
strategies to fiction and 2.1 Previewing the Unit ................................................................... 90
nonfiction texts
2.2 Forces of Change ....................................................................... 91
• To collaborate and
communicate effectively *Film: Clips from Up, directed by Pete Docter
• To write an expository essay 2.3 Looking Inside and Out ............................................................. 94
• To practice using verb
tenses and creating 2.4 Beginning the Journey ............................................................... 97
sentence variety *Novel: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
Introducing the Strategy: Double-Entry Journal
2.5 Planting the Seeds of Character Analysis ................................100
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
reflection 2.6 Mapping the Journey: Plot and Subplot ...................................102
compare
contrast 2.7 A Tree of One’s Own: Setting ................................................... 104
inference
prediction 2.8 Questions and Discussions ......................................................106
communication Introducing the Strategy: Questioning the Text
(verbal/nonverbal)
synthesize 2.9 Diction Detectives and “Evidence” ...........................................110
2.10 Reporting from Paradise Falls ..................................................113
*Film: Clips from Up, directed by Pete Docter
Literary Terms
expository writing 2.11 Making Connections and Visualizing Art ..................................115
topic sentence
2.12 Stepping into the Literature Circle ............................................119
commentary
supporting details Introducing the Strategy: Literature Circles
novel

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

subplot 2.13 Circling the Moon: Literature Circle Discussion ........................123
setting
Embedded Assessment 1: Responding to Literature ........................125
literary analysis
stanza 2.14 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
introduction
hook and Expository Writing ............................................................127
thesis statement
2.15 Changing Genres: Transforming a Tale .................................... 130
conclusion
nonfiction Fairy Tale: excerpt from “The Little Mermaid”
fiction by Hans Christian Anderson
imagery Poetry: “ . . . And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed
textual evidence
Everything to Win the Love of the Prince, the Prince (Alas)
Decided to Wed Another,” by Judith Viorst
Expository Essay: “He Might Have Liked Me Better with My Tail,”
by Ima Mermaid
2.16 Explaining and Interpreting Change ........................................ 134

88 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Language & Writer’s
2.17 Writing and Changing Together ............................................... 138 Craft
Introducing the Strategy: Replacing • Pronoun Usage and
Agreement (2.3)
2.18 Traveling with Charley: Literary Nonfiction .............................142 • Sentence Variety (2.7)
Memoir: Excerpt from Travels with Charley, • Revising for Figurative
by John Steinbeck Language (2.9)
Introducing the Strategy: Diffusing • Parallel Structure (2.17)

2.19 Reflecting on Marley: Textual Evidence................................... 146

Memoir: “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal,”
by John Grogan
2.20 Making Connections Through Research ...................................149
Autobiography: “Dogs Make Us Human”
from Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin
and Catherine Johnson
2.21 Synthesizing Temple’s Story ....................................................152
*Film Biography: Temple Grandin
Autobiography: “My Story” from Animals in Translation, by
Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson
Biography: excerpt from “Chapter 6: Hampshire School for
Wayward Wizards” from Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who
Loved Cows, Embraced Autism and Changed the World, by Sy
Montgomery
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Expository Essay ..................157
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

*Texts not included in these materials.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 89

ACTIVITY Previewing the Unit
2.1

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Preview the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit.
Close Reading, QHT, Marking
the Text, Skimming/Scanning • Identify and analyze the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded
Assessment 1 successfully.

Making Connections
My Notes In the last unit, you explored change in your own life. As part of that exploration,
you learned to write narratives—both a personal narrative and a short story. In
this unit, you will continue to explore change, but now you will broaden your
exploration to look at change in the world around you.

Essential Questions
Based on your current knowledge, how would you answer these questions?
1. How can talking and working with others help one analyze a novel?
2. How do internal and external forces help people grow?

Developing Vocabulary
Look at the Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms on the Contents page. Use the
QHT strategy to analyze which terms you may know and which you need to learn
more deeply.

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 1

Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 1: Responding to Literature.
Your assignment is to write an expository response to the novel Walk Two
Moons. Select one of the following prompts:
• Explain how internal or external forces cause one character from the novel to
grow or change.
• Identify one subplot from the novel and explain how it relates to the main plot

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

of the novel.
• Describe one setting from the novel and explain why it is important to a
character or to the plot.
• Discuss how plot, setting, character, or conflict contributes to one of the
novel’s themes.

Summarize what you will need to know in order to complete this assessment
successfully. With your class, create a graphic organizer to represent the skills
and knowledge you will need to complete the tasks identified in the Embedded
Assessment.

90 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Forces of Change ACTIVITY
2.2

Learning Targets
• Analyze the effect of internal and external forces on a character in a film. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer, Think- Pair-
• Respond to an expository writing prompt. Share, Drafting, Self-Editing /
Peer Editing
Before Reading
1. Review the meaning of the words internal and external and decide what might
be meant by internal forces and external forces.
Internal means . . .

External means . . .

2. You will next watch film clips from the movie Up. As you watch each clip, use
the graphic organizer to take notes on the internal and external changes in Carl
Fredrickson’s life and on how he responds to them.

Scene: What changes does External Forces: Events Internal Forces:

Carl Fredrickson or other people that Carl’s own decisions or
experience? cause change emotions that
cause change
Meeting Ellie

Scenes from
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Their Lives

Construction

Up and Away

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 91

 ACTIVITY 2.2
Forces of Change
continued

Expository Writing
Literary Terms In the last unit, you learned about narrative writing. Another form of writing
Expository writing is a type of is exposition, or expository writing. The purpose of expository writing is to
writing that explains, defines, communicate information to a reader. In contrast to narrative writing, which can
clarifies, or gives information
be based on true incidents or made-up stories, expository writing is focused on
about a topic. A topic sentence
explaining something.
states the main ideas of a
paragraph. Commentary is the
3. Following is a sample expository paragraph that explains how Carl Fredrickson’s
writer’s statements about the
meaning and importance of life changes from external forces in the film Up. Mark the text as follows:
the details and examples. • Circle the topic sentence that states the main idea.
• Underline details and examples from the film.
• Highlight commentary about how the external forces cause character change.
• Put an asterisk (*) next to transition words.
My Notes
In the film, Up, Carl Fredrickson’s life changes due to several external forces.
Ellie is one of the first external forces of change in his life. She makes Carl a
member of her club and doesn’t really give him any choice about it. She also
pushes him to walk the plank to get his balloon, which is how he breaks his arm.
Although this seems like a bad thing, she really is making his life more of an
adventure.

Expository Writing Prompt: Work with your class to write another paragraph
explaining how Carl Fredrickson’s life changes from internal forces in the film Up.
Be sure to:
• Include a topic sentence that states the main idea.
• Use supporting details and examples from your graphic organizer.
• Add commentary about how the internal forces cause character change.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

92 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.2
continued

Language and Writers Craft: Verb Tenses GRAMMAR USAGE

Verbs show time through tenses. Incorrectly mixing tenses is a common problem Literary Analysis
in writing. The present, past, and future tenses usually are easy to keep consistent. When writing about
Examples: literature and film, use the
Present: She sings in the chorus. present tense. For example,
in Up Carl Frederickson
Past: She sang in the chorus.
attaches balloons to his
Future: She will sing in the chorus. house.

Consistent: She sings in the chorus, and he plays in the band.

Inconsistent: She sings in the chorus, and he played in the band. (mixes present
and past) My Notes

Most problems usually occur with the perfect tenses. The perfect tenses are formed
by adding such common words as can, do, may, must, ought, shall
shall, will, has, have,
had, and forms of be.
Examples:
Present Perfect: She has sung in the chorus.
Past Perfect: She had sung in the chorus.
Future Perfect: She will have sung in the chorus.

As you write, be aware of your verb tenses. Here are some examples of consistent
and inconsistent use of tenses.

Consistent: I was talking to Sarah, and I said,, “Will you be at the party?”

Inconsistent: I was talking to Sarah, and I say,, “Will you be at the party?”

Practice:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Circle the present-tense verbs in the paragraph below.

Up is the story of Carl Fredrickson, who decides to finally follow his dreams. But
rather than jump in the car or take a plane, he attaches thousands of balloons to
his house and floats away. “So long boys!” he calls to some men below.

Check Your Understanding

Find the verbs in the paragraph you wrote for the previous expository writing
prompt. Revise them as needed to use the correct verb tense.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 93

ACTIVITY Looking Inside and Out
2.3

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Respond to a writing prompt and create a visual representation.
Graphic Organizer, Drafting,
Sketching • Edit writing to avoid inappropriate pronoun shifts in number and person.

1. The way others see a person from the outside is not always the same as
the way the person sees himself or herself. Brainstorm and create a visual
representation of your external and internal selves.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you reflect, you think • Divide your paper in half (either horizontally or vertically is okay).
about or consider something. • On one half of your paper, draw a small face or profile. Around the face, draw
This act of reflection may pictures and write words, phrases, sentences, or quotes that others (parents,
ask you to think and/or write relatives, teachers, friends, classmates, etc.) might choose to describe you.
to explore the significance These pictures and words are your external reflections.
of an experience, idea, or
observation.

My Notes

• On the other half of your paper, draw a larger face or profile with very simple
details. Inside the face, draw pictures and write words, phrases, sentences,
or quotes that demonstrate how YOU see yourself. These are your internal
reflections.

• On each half of the paper, write a name for yourself that reflects how © 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.
others see you and another name that reflects the way you see yourself.
For example: Robert (how others see you), Bobby (how you see yourself) or
Jennifer (how others see you), Jokester (how you see yourself).

94 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.3
continued

2. Think about the ideas from your visual representation that stand out to you.
Select a few of these ideas to list in the graphic organizer. Listing your ideas
will help you narrow them prior to drafting an expository paragraph.

How Others Might How I Would

Describe Me Describe Myself
1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

Expository Writing Prompt: Reflect on the similarities and differences between

your internal and external selves. On a separate piece of paper, write a paragraph Literary Terms
explaining how others might describe you (your external reflection) and another
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Supporting details include

paragraph explaining how you would describe yourself (your internal reflection). evidence (facts, statistics,
Be sure to: examples) that support the
• Use topic sentences. topic sentence.
• Include supporting details and commentary.
• Use transition words.
• Use consistent verb tense.
• Pay attention to spelling and grammar.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 95

 ACTIVITY 2.3
Looking Inside and Out
continued

GRAMMAR USAGE Language and Writer’s Craft: Pronoun Usage and Agreement
Noun-Pronoun Agreement A pronoun refers back to a noun or takes the place of that noun. In Unit 1, you
To ensure that pronouns learned about several different kinds of pronouns, including subjective, objective,
agree with their related intensive, and possessive. Write a brief explanation of each type.
nouns, check agreement
in person and in number. Subjective pronoun:
Agreement in person means
that both are in the same Objective pronoun:
point of view: first, second,
or third person. Agreement in Intensive pronoun:
number means that both are
either singular or plural. Possessive pronoun:

When a pronoun refers back to a noun, it is important that the noun and pronoun
have certain characteristics in common. This concept is called noun-pronoun
agreement, which means that each pronoun must agree in person and in number
My Notes
with the noun it represents.

Agreement in person: If you are writing in the first person (I),

), avoid confusing
your reader by switching to the second person (you)) or third person ((he, she,
it, they, etc.).
Example: I sometimes get nervous because I don’t know what other people are
thinking of me. (NOT: I sometimes get nervous because you don’t know what
other people are thinking of you.)

Agree in number: If a pronoun takes the place of a singular noun, you must use
a singular pronoun. If it takes the place of a plural noun, use a plural pronoun.
Example: Just because a man looks old on the outside doesn’t mean that he
isn’t still young at heart. (NOT: Just because a man looks old on the outside
doesn’t mean they aren’t still young at heart.)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding
Revisit the paragraphs you wrote on your internal and external reflections.
Highlight all the pronouns you used. Check that they agree in person and in
number with the nouns to which they refer. Revise your paragraphs so that your
nouns and pronouns agree.

96 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Beginning the Journey ACTIVITY
2.4

Learning Targets
• Preview the class novel by completing a graphic organizer. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer,
• Record textual evidence and commentary in a double-entry journal while Previewing, Note-taking
reading the class novel.

1. You will next begin reading Sharon Creech’s novel Walk Two Moons. Just like a
short story, a novel is a work of fiction. A short story tends to be written about Literary Terms
a few characters with one major conflict. In contrast, a novel tends to include A novel is a type of literary
more characters and more conflicts throughout the book. Whenever you pick up genre that tells a fictional
a new book to read, it is a good idea to preview it. Begin with the front and back story. It reveals its plot
covers and the first few pages just inside the front cover. through the actions,
speech, and thoughts
of its characters.
Title Why do you think the novel is
called Walk Two Moons?
Describe the lettering used
for the title (color, size, style). My Notes
Does the title look interesting
to you?

Author What do you know about the

author?
Have you ever read any other
works by this author?

Pictures Do you see any pictures or

illustrations? If so, describe
what you see.
Why do you think these
images were selected?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Words Is a description of the book

provided? If so, summarize it
in one or two sentences.
Has the novel or its author
won any awards? If so, what
were they for?

First Pages What do you think the quote

on the page before the Table
of Contents means?
Pick one chapter title and
explain what that chapter
might be about.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 97

ACTIVITY 2.4
Beginning the Journey
continued

My Notes Introducing the Strategy: Double-Entry Journal

A double-entry journal is a two-column journal in which a passage is written
on the left side (textual evidence) and a response to the passage is written in
the right column (commentary). Responses might include asking questions
of the text, forming personal opinions about the text, interpreting the text, or
reflecting on the process of making meaning of the text.

2 As you read Walk Two Moons, you will be taking notes in a double-entry journal
to record your thoughts and questions in response to your reading. You may
respond in these ways:
• Write about an experience in your own life that relates to what is happening
in the novel.
• Write your opinions about what is happening in the novel.
• Write your questions about what is happening in the novel.

Draw a horizontal line under each entry. Complete this example as you read
Chapter 1 of Walk Two Moons.

Passage from Text Page # Personal Response/

Commentary
“Just over a year ago, my father 1 This passage reminds me of
plucked me up like a weed and when I had to move away from
took me and all our belongings my old house in the city. I was
(no, that is not true—he did really angry that we couldn’t
not bring the chestnut tree, the bring the playground with us. It
willow, the maple, the hayloft, sounds like she really likes trees
or the swimming hole, which all and being outdoors and that

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

belonged to me) and we drove she will have to give up those
three hundred miles straight things in her new home. Why is
north and stopped in front of a she moving, and where is her
house in Euclid, Ohio.” mother?

98 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.4
continued

If you are having trouble thinking of what to write, use these response starters:
• I really like (or dislike) this part because . . . My Notes
• I wonder why . . .
• I predict that . . .
• I think the character should . . .
• This reminds me of the time when I . . .
• This reminds me of a book I read (movie I watched, and so on) . . .

3. Following is an example of a blank double-entry journal form to use for the

next few chapters. You will also find this form in the back of your book in the
Resources section. Consider copying the form, folding it in half, and using it as
a book mark for the novel. You might also consider copying this form into your
Reader/Writer Notebook. You may need several pages for writing your thoughts
while you are reading the rest of Walk Two Moons.

Title of Novel:
Author:
Passage from Text Page # Personal Response/
Commentary
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding

Describe how a double-entry journal is used. Also explain the difference between
the text passage and the personal response or commentary.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 99

ACTIVITY Planting the Seeds of
2.5 Character Analysis
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Use knowledge of characterization to write expository literary analysis
Graphic Organizer, Rereading,
paragraphs that compare or contrast characters.
Note-taking, Skimming/
Scanning • Record textual evidence and write commentary explaining or analyzing it.

1. Skim and scan Chapters 1–4 of Walk Two Moons to find details about the
characters and add them to the graphic organizer below. Your double-entry
journal may help you locate passages, since you have been noting page
My Notes numbers. Remember that authors use the following techniques to develop a
character:
• character’s appearance
• character’s actions
• what the character says
• what others say about the character

Name Details About Character

Sal

Phoebe

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

100 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.5
continued

2 Take a closer look at the two main characters in Walk Two Moons by taking
notes below on all the ways the author uses characterization.

Characterization Notes

Salamanca Tree Hiddle Phoebe Winterbottom

What does the character

look like?

What does the character

do?

What does the character

say?

What do others say

about them?

A part of analyzing and responding to what you read is comparing and contrasting
characters, settings, and incidents in a story. In writing exposition in which you ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
compare and contrast, you will want to use transitions that help the reader see To compare and to contrast
is to identify similarities and
what you are comparing or contrasting. Read the examples of compare and
differences. Exploring ideas
contrast transition words and phrases in the Grammar & Usage box.
or objects by comparing
and contrasting them is an
Expository Writing Prompt: Write an expository paragraph that compares or effective way to analyze
contrasts the two main characters in Walk Two Moons. Include examples from ideas.
different types of characterization: appearance, actions, words, and the reactions
of others. Be sure to:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Use a topic sentence.

• Include supporting details and commentary. GRAMMAR USAGE
• Use transition words. Compare and Contrast
Transitions of comparison:
• Use present-tense verbs and avoid incorrect shifts in pronouns. in the same way, likewise,
as, also, similarly
Transitions of contrast: but,
although, however, yet,
nevertheless, on the other
hand

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 101

ACTIVITY Mapping the Journey:
2.6 Plot and Subplot
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Make inferences and predictions about character change.
Graphic Organizer, Predicting,
Note-taking • Apply understanding of plot and subplot to a discussion of the novel Walk
Two Moons.

1. Quickwrite: How can going on a physical (external) journey change your

emotional (internal) self?
My Notes

2. Events in a novel or film often contribute to a character’s growth or change.

Sometimes the changes are immediate; at other times, you do not realize how
the character has changed until the story’s end. Use the graphic organizer
below to record plot events and to make an inference or a prediction about how
those events might affect a character.

Inferences/Predictions About
Events in the Plot
Character Change

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you infer something
or make an inference, you
are making a logical guess or
conclusion based on textual
evidence.
A prediction is a kind of inference
since it is a logical guess or
assumption about something
that has not happened yet.

102 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.6
continued

3. There are two kinds of journeys in the book Walk Two Moons. Use the space
below to record some of the key events from both. My Notes
• Brainstorm or illustrate events from the physical (external) journey Sal takes
with her grandparents.
• Brainstorm or illustrate events from the emotional (internal) journeys Phoebe
and Sal experience.

Events from physical journey:

Events from emotional journey:

Literary Terms
Subplot is a secondary
4. Novels often have both a main plot and subplots. Which journey in Walk Two plot that occurs along
Moons is the plot of the novel? Explain your reasoning. with a main plot.

Check Your Understanding

Describe the plot and subplot of the book you are reading independently. Or you
might choose another book, a television show, or a movie you know well or have
recently read or viewed.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 103

ACTIVITY A Tree of One’s Own: Setting
2.7

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Write a reflection about the setting of a personal incident.
Graphic Organizer, Reviewing,
Visualizing, Sketching • Revise writing to include compound sentences.

1. Read Sal’s description of the singing tree in Chapter 16. Fill in the columns
below, noting how she feels when she is at the singing tree and the details that
help create that feeling.

Place Time Feeling or Mood Details

2. Think of a place that means a great deal to you. Imagine that you are there. Fill
in the columns below with details about this setting, trying to remember and
visualize everything about it, especially how you feel when you are there and
the details that help create that feeling, including people, animals, and objects.

Place Time Feeling or Mood Details

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

104 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.7
continued

3. On a separate piece of paper, sketch either your own setting or the way you
imagine Sal’s singing tree. Include details from your graphic organizer, but also My Notes
feel free to add details that will help your sketch reflect the feelings that you
associate with that particular setting.

Expository Writing Prompt: Write a paragraph about a setting that is important

to you. Explain how the external setting affects your internal feelings. Be sure to:
• Use a topic sentence.
• Include several supporting details describing the setting.
• Include commentary about how it makes you feel. Literary Terms
• Use transition words and demonstrate correct verb tense and correct
The setting of a scene or
pronoun usage. story includes both where
and when the action takes
place. Details of setting
Language and Writer’s Craft: Sentence Variety help establish a context for
Writing that uses only one type of sentence, such as simple sentences, seems dull the events of the story.
after awhile. Using a variety of sentence types helps you keep a reader interested.
One way to improve the sentence variety in your writing is to combine short, simple
sentences to create compound sentences. In Chapter 16 of Walk Two Moons
Moons,
Sharon Creech uses two kinds of compound sentences in her description of Sal’s
singing tree.

Independent clauses linked by a semicolon:

It was not a call; it was a true birdsong, with trills and warbles.
Independent clauses linked by a comma and a coordinating conjunction:
I had pleaded to go along, but my father said he didn’t think I should have to go
through that.

4. Revise the sentences below by combining independent clauses to create at least

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

two new compound sentences.

I am proud, awestruck, and exhausted. I am at the top of Anderson Reservoir
Dam. I have been hiking with my friends. I am the first one to get to the top. I
look down at the swaying trees. The Guadalupe Stream is rushing down the
valley. I can feel the breeze on my neck.

GRAMMAR USAGE
Compound Sentences
Check Your Understanding A compound sentence is two
Revisit the response you wrote to the prompt above. Find places where you can or more independent clauses
linked by a semicolon
combine independent clauses to create compound sentences.
or by a comma and a
coordinating conjunction.
The most common
coordinating conjunctions
are and, but, and or.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 105

ACTIVITY Questions and Discussions
2.8

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze the text of the novel Walk Two Moons by posing literal, interpretive,
Discussion Groups, Visualizing,
and universal questions.
Sketching, Questioning the Text
• Identify and implement effective discussion techniques.

Literary Analysis
My Notes For Embedded Assessment 1, you will be writing an essay responding to a prompt
on the novel Walk Two Moons. In the past few activities, you began your reading
and analysis of the novel, identifying plot and subplot, analyzing characterization,
and identifying narrative elements such as setting.
In the next few activities, you will learn additional skills and strategies for a deeper
literary analysis, skills that you will use in writing your response to literature.

Literary Terms
Introducing the Strategy: Questioning the Text
Literary analysis is the
study of a work of literature A strategy for thinking actively and interpretively about your reading is
to evaluate and interpret to ask questions. As you read any text, you can ask questions that aid
elements that affect a reader’s your understanding with different levels of ideas. Questioning helps you
understanding or opinion of experience a text in depth.
the work. • Literal questions (Level 1): You can answer questions on the literal level by
looking to the text directly. These questions often begin with who, what, where,
or when.
Example: What did Ellie pin onto Carl’s shirt when she made him a member of
her club?
• Interpretive questions (Level 2): You cannot find answers to interpretive
questions directly in the text; however, textual evidence points to and supports
your answers.
Example: Why do you think Carl didn’t want to move into the retirement home?
WORD • Universal questions (Level 3): These questions go beyond the text. They require

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

CONNECTIONS you to think about the larger issues or ideas raised by a text.
Roots and Affixes Example: Why do people dream of traveling to strange and faraway lands?
The word literal contains the
root -liter- from the Latin word
littera, meaning “letter.” This
1. In your own words, describe each type of question.
root also appears in literacy,
literature, and alliteration.
Interpretive contains the root
interpret, which means “to
come to an understanding.”
Universal contains the Latin
prefix uni-, meaning “one,”
and the root -ver-, meaning
“turn.” The root -ver- appears
in reverse, adversary, introvert,
vertigo, and conversation.
The suffix -al indicates an
adjective.

106 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.8
continued

2. Write examples of the three levels of questions, based on your reading so far of
the novel Walk Two Moons. My Notes

Literal:

Interpretive:

Universal:

3. Your teacher will assign a section of the novel for your small group to study. As
a group, prepare for your discussion by creating at least two questions for each
level of questioning.

Literal:

Interpretive:

Universal:

Communicating in Discussion Groups

You have participated in discussions in the past. Think about what made them
effective. What did not work so well? A discussion group works together to ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
consider a topic, text, or question. You may already know that
to communicate is to give
All members of a discussion group need to communicate effectively to help and receive information.
the group work smoothly and achieve its goals. Group members should allow Communication can be
opportunities for everyone to participate. With your class, create a list of guidelines either verbal, which involves
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to help ensure good communication. the written or spoken word,

or nonverbal, which involves
movement, gestures, or
facial expressions.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 107

ACTIVITY 2.8
Questions and Discussions
continued

4. Think about the communication process from the speaker’s viewpoint as well as
My Notes the listener’s viewpoint.
As a speaker:

As a listener:

5. All discussion groups need a process or a strategy to help them accomplish

their goals. It also helps to have formal or informal roles in discussion groups.
What are some of the roles that people might have, and what would they do?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

6. Follow your teacher’s directions to form a new group of students who wrote
levels of questions on different sections of Walk Two Moons. As your new group
discusses these different questions, use the graphic organizer on the next page
to record key ideas. Remember to follow the communication norms for speakers
and listeners as well as the discussion roles you identified with your class in
questions 4 and 5. Give each other feedback on which questions were the most
effective at encouraging interesting discussions and bringing out new ideas
about meaning in the novel.

108 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.8
continued

An Interesting Point Made by

Evidence the Person Provided My Thoughts
a Member of My Group

Check Your Understanding

• What were your strengths as a discussion group? What were your challenges, My Notes
and how did you overcome them?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Revisit the Essential Question: How can talking and working with others help
one understand a novel?

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 109

ACTIVITY Diction Detectives and “Evidence”
2.9

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Closely read text to analyze an author’s use of diction to portray a character.
Graphic Organizer, Skimming/
Scanning • Revise writing by adding figurative language.

1. In Unit 1, you learned that diction refers to an author’s word choice, which is
one way an author can develop character. Skim/scan the chapters of Walk Two
Moons that you have read, and list below some of the words Sharon Creech
My Notes chooses that give Sal, Phoebe, Gram, Gramps, and the other characters their
unique voices.

2. Chapter 22 is titled “Evidence” because Phoebe and Sal are both looking for
clues about why their mothers went missing. With a partner or small group, read
the chapter closely, looking for clues about the author’s purpose for selecting
specific words. Try to think about what the author was trying to show or
achieve. Search for words, phrases, or passages that are especially descriptive,
interesting, or even confusing. Analyze them and record your evidence in the
graphic organizer below.

Page Word, Phrase, Why did you choose Why do you think the
# or Passage this word, phrase, author used this word,
or passage? phrase, or passage?
Word:

Phrase:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Passage:

110 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.9
continued

3. The words and sentences around a word are called its context. You may find
clues in the context to help you determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. My Notes
When Phoebe asks her father about the word malinger, he has her look it up in
the dictionary. Read the passage below, and underline context clues that could
have helped Phoebe.
Her father placed his hand on her forehead, looked deep into her eyes and said,
“I’m afraid you have to go to school.”
“I’m sick. Honest,” she said. “It might be cancer.”
“Phoebe, I know you’re worried, but there’s nothing we can do but wait. We
have to go on with things. We can’t malinger.”
4. Skim/scan the paragraphs following this passage, and try to find context clues
that you can use to define frenzy, cardigan, skittish, and sullen. Use a dictionary
to check your definitions.

5. In Unit 1, you learned about how figurative language can enhance your own
writing by forming an image in your reader’s mind that will create a specific
emotion or emphasize an important idea.
Look closely at the diction in Sharon Creech’s figurative language. Try to walk
around in her shoes (metaphorically) and deduce the reasoning behind her
choices. Record examples below.

Page Figurative Language Why did you choose this Why do you think the author used this
# word, phrase, or passage to word, phrase, or passage?
examine?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 111

 ACTIVITY 2.9
Diction Detectives and “Evidence”
continued

WORD Language and Writer’s Craft: Revising for Figurative Language

CONNECTIONS Adding figurative language to your writing is one way to revise. Your use of
Roots and Affixes figurative language is also part of your own style, or voice. Review the following
The word metaphor comes from types of figurative language that you learned in Unit 1 and then write your
the Greek root meta-, meaning own example.
“after” or “beyond” and -phor, A simile is a creative comparison between two unlike things, using the word like or as:
meaning “to carry.” • Her smile is as bright as the sun.
Meta- appears in metacognitive,
metamorphosis, and metabolism. • The NBA player is as tall as a tree.
The root -phor- occurs in 1. My example of simile:
the words euphoria and
phosphorescent.

Personification has the Latin A metaphor is a creative comparison between two unlike things where one thing
root -person-, from persona, becomes another:
referring to the masks • Her smile is a sunbeam warming up the room.
representing characters in
ancient dramas.
• The NBA player was a tree, blocking everything in its way.
2. My example of metaphor:

My Notes Personification is a kind of metaphor that gives objects or abstract ideas human
characteristics:
• The sun smiled down at the girl.
• The ball bounced playfully away.
3. My example of personification:

4. Underline one idea in the paragraph below and revise it to add figurative
language.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

My family and I had an exhilarating time on our rafting trip in Colorado. We
spent most of our days on the river, braving the rapids. Although it seemed we
would never make it down the river without plunging in, the thrill was definitely
worth it. Our intense experience created a stronger family bond as we pushed
ourselves beyond our previously defined limits.

Check Your Understanding

Choose any piece of writing you have done in this unit. Underline several details
and revise them to add figurative language.

112 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Reporting from Paradise Falls ACTIVITY
2.10

Learning Targets
• Learn and apply the skill of summarizing to text being read. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer,
• Write and present a summary to a small group. Summarizing, Drafting

1. Earlier in this unit, you analyzed setting, plot, and character in literature, film,
and your own life. Look back at those activities, and then write a brief definition
of each literary term below in your own words.
My Notes
Setting (Activity 2.7):

Plot (Activity 2.6):

Character (Activity 2.5):

2. You will next watch some film clips. Working with a small group, divide the work
so that one person is taking notes on each literary element as you watch the
clips. Especially note changes in each element.

Setting
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Plot

Character

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 113

ACTIVITY 2.10
Reporting from Paradise Falls
continued

Summarizing involves reading text or listening to a speaker and then restating

My Notes the main ideas in your own words. The purpose of a summary is to capture the
essential information without using the author’s or speaker’s exact words.
3. Write a brief summary of your notes on setting, plot, or character.

4. Share your notes with your group, and take notes to complete the chart for the
other two elements while other group members are reporting.

5. With your class, identify possible themes, or central messages, for the film Up.
Remember that a theme should be a message, not just a topic. If Up is about
the topic of adventure, the theme is the message the film communicates
about adventure.

6. With your group, discuss plot, setting, and character in Walk Two Moons.
Identify and discuss possible themes.

Expository Writing Prompt: Write a paragraph about how the setting, plot, or
characters in the film Up contribute to the theme. Be sure to:
• Use a topic sentence that states a theme.
• Include supporting details and commentary.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Refer to specific literary elements (theme, setting, plot, character).
• Use transitions and correct verb tense and pronoun agreement.

114 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Making Connections and Visualizing Art ACTIVITY
2.11

Learning Targets
• Analyze internal and external conflict in a text. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Visualizing, Graphic Organizer,
• Make connections within a text, between texts, between a text and self, and Rereading, Word Maps
between a text and the broader world.
• Create a collaborative visual representation of the literary elements in
Walk Two Moons.
My Notes
1. As you viewed clips from the film Up, you analyzed many internal and external
forces that cause Carl Fredrickson to change. Whenever the main character
struggles against internal and external forces, there is a conflict in the story.

List one internal conflict, such as a difficult decision or emotion, that Carl
Fredrickson struggles with.

List one external conflict, such as a force of nature or another character, that
Carl Fredrickson struggles against.

2. Give one of the faces below long straight hair (Sal) and the other one curly
hair (Phoebe). Review your note-taking in your double-entry journal for
Walk Two Moons. Add examples of conflict to the faces. Put at least one
internal conflict inside each face and one external conflict outside each face.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

3. In a collaborative group, compare and contrast your visualization of conflicts

in the two characters above. Based on your analysis, discuss who is struggling
more with internal conflict and who is struggling more with external conflict.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 115

ACTIVITY 2.11
Making Connections and
continued Visualizing Art
4. An important element of literary analysis is recognizing that the events and
My Notes conflicts in a text are similar to events in other texts and to those in real life.
Making connections between texts and between texts and life helps you not
only understand the text, but also to understand life lessons it may teach. Make
connections between Walk Two Moons, other texts, yourself, and the world.
Record your ideas in the graphic organizer.

Event from Book Type of Connection Explain Connection

Text to Same Text: Make a

connection to another event
in the same novel.

Text to Different Text: Make

a connection to an event in a
different novel or text.

Text to Self: Make a

connection to an event in
your own life.

Text to World: Make a

connection to an event in
history or society.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5. Making text connections also involves reflecting on what has happened in the
book up to this point and predicting what will happen next. Use the graphic
organizer below to connect the past to the future in Walk Two Moons.

What has happened previously in the What do you predict will happen as
book? the book continues?

116 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.11
continued

6. Reread the section below from Chapter 30, in which Sal talks about the power
of visualization. Mark the text by highlighting or underlining every time Sal uses My Notes
any form of the word “visualize.”

Once, before she left, my mother said that if you visualize something
happening, you can make it happen. For example, if you are about to run a race,
you visualize yourself running the race and crossing the finish line, and presto!
When the time comes, it really happens. The only thing I did not understand was
what if everyone visualized himself winning the race?
Still, when she left, this is what I did. I visualized her reaching for the phone.
Then I visualized her dialing the phone. I visualized our phone number clicking
through the wires. I visualized the phone ringing.
It did not ring.
I visualized her riding the bus back to Bybanks. I visualized her walking up
the driveway. I visualized her opening the door.
It did not happen.

7. Quickwrite: Do you think it is possible to affect the future by picturing

something happening? Explain your reasoning in the My Notes space.

8. In Chapter 32, Mr. Birkway shows the class a picture. Use the My Notes space
to describe what you see when your teacher shows you this picture.

9. Discuss how talking about a picture with other people can help you see it in
different ways. Do you think the same thing can happen with a novel?

10. On the following page, you will find an outline of a tree. As you read or review
a chapter of Walk Two Moons, use the tree to take notes on different literary
elements.
• Write the chapter title on the trunk.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Describe or draw images on the tree’s branches to represent different

events.
• Draw birds or animals in the tree to represent the characters, and label
them with names.
• Describe the setting(s) with words or images on the ground at the base
of the tree.
• Use the roots to describe events that happened earlier in the book.
• In the sky above the tree, make predictions about what will happen next.
• Add leaves to the tree with interesting diction from the chapter.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 117

 ACTIVITY 2.11
Making Connections and
continued Visualizing Art

My Notes

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
To synthesize is to form by
combining parts or elements into
a single or unified piece.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

11. Collaborative Group: Share your sketches and then collaborate to create a new
tree outline on poster paper that synthesizes all of your ideas into one project.
Assign a different color to each person, and provide a key so that you can see
which details came from each group member.

Check Your Understanding

Writing Prompt: Reflect on visualizing and collaborating. How did sketching the
tree help you understand the chapter better? How and what did you contribute to
the tree that you created in your small group? What were the challenges of working
with the group, and how did you deal with them? Write a response explaining your
experience with visualizing and collaborating. Be sure to:
• Use a topic sentence.
• Elaborate with supporting detail and commentary.
• Use transitions.
• Use a variety of sentence structures.

118 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Stepping into the Literature Circle ACTIVITY
2.12

Learning Targets
• Analyze elements of the structure and content of a text with a Literature Circles LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Literature Circles, Discussion
strategy.
Groups, Collaborating
• Evaluate Literature Circles as a strategy to facilitate close reading and
discussion of meaning in a text.

Introducing the Strategy: Literature Circles My Notes

A Literature Circle is made up of a group that all reads the same text and
then participates in a discussion of that text. Each person in the group takes
on a different role, with the roles rotating to each group member. The group
discussion roles are Discussion Leader, Diction Detective, Bridge Builder,
Reporter, and Artist.

Literature Circle Roles

Each role within a Literature Circle group has specific responsibilities. Performance
of the roles rotates so that each person in the group has an opportunity to serve in
each role.
Discussion Leader: Your job is to develop a list of questions you think your group
should discuss about the assigned section of the book. Use your knowledge
of Levels of Questions to create thought-provoking interpretive and universal
questions. Try to create questions that encourage your group to consider many
ideas. Help your group explore these important ideas and share their reactions.
You will be in charge of leading the day’s discussion.

Diction Detective: Your job is to carefully examine the diction (word choice) in the
assigned section. Search for words, phrases, and passages that are especially
descriptive, powerful, funny, thought-provoking, surprising, or even confusing.
List the words or phrases and explain why you selected them. Then, write your
thoughts about why the author might have selected these words or phrases. What
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

is the author trying to say? How does the diction help the author achieve his or her
purpose? What tone do the words indicate?

Bridge Builder: Your job is to build bridges between the events of the book and
other people, places, or events in school, the community, or your own life. Look
for connections between the text, yourself, other texts, and the world. Also make
connections between what has happened before and what might happen as the
narrative continues. Look for the characters’ internal and external conflicts and the
ways these conflicts influence their actions.

Reporter: Your job is to identify and report on the key points of the reading
assignment. Make a list or write a summary that describes how the setting, plot,
and characters are developed in this section of the book. Consider how characters
interact, major events that occur, and shifts in the setting or the mood that seem
significant. Share your report at the beginning of the group meeting to help your
group focus on the key ideas presented in the reading. Like that of a newspaper
reporter, your report must be concise yet thorough.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 119

ACTIVITY 2.12
Stepping into the Literature Circle
continued

Artist: Your job is to create an illustration related to the reading. It can be a

My Notes sketch, cartoon, diagram, flow chart, or other image. It can be of a scene, an
idea, a symbol, or a character. Show your illustration to the group without any
explanation. Ask each group member to respond, either by making a comment
or asking a question. After everyone has responded, then you may explain your
picture and answer any questions that have not been answered.

Before Reading
1. Your teacher will assign roles and put you in Literature Circle groups to practice
close reading and discussion of texts with a classic fairy tale. Review the
directions for your role on the previous page. Also review the skills you learned
in the following activities, where you were actually practicing the skills needed
for each role:

Discussion Leader (Activity 2.8)

Diction Detective (Activity 2.9)
Reporter (Activity 2.10)
Bridge Builder (Activity 2.11)
Artist (Activity 2.11)

Create a placecard to use during the meeting. Include the role title and a symbolic
visual on the front. On the back, write a brief description of your role.

During Reading
2. Keep a double-entry journal with notes that will help you prepare for your role.
Remember to copy or summarize important passages on the left side of your
journal. On the right-hand side
• The Discussion Leader will keep track of questions to ask.
• The Diction Detective will record interesting words and phrases, especially
figurative language.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• The Reporter will take notes on the setting, plot, and characters, especially
shifts or changes.
• The Bridge Builder will take notes on predictions, connections (text to self,
text to text, and text to world) and conflict.
• The Artist will take notes on how to create a visual representation.

3. Meet with the other students who are also preparing for the role you have been
given. Share the notes that you took and discuss how you can use them in your
Literature Circle meetings.

4. When your role is prepared, go back to your Literature Circle group. Review
the guidelines for communicating in discussion groups, which you made in
Activity 2.8.

120 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.12
continued

5. At your teacher’s direction, team up with another group to use the fishbowl
strategy. While the inner circle is discussing the text, the outer circle will take
notes on the Discussion Group Note-taking Graphic Organizer. After the first
discussion, switch places so that the inner circle becomes the outer circle for
the second discussion.

6. Give each circle (inner and outer) a chance to respond to the discussion,
commenting on the strengths and challenges that each group had in its analysis
of the text. Fill out the Group Meeting Reflection Chart on the following page.
Reflect on what you can improve on during your Literature Circle meeting for the
upcoming Embedded Assessment.

Discussion Note-taking Graphic Organizer

An Interesting Point Made by a
Support the Person Provided My Thoughts
Member of the Discussion Group
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 121

ACTIVITY 2.12
Stepping into the Literature Circle
continued

Group Meeting Reflection Chart

Challenges Goals

Speaking

Listening

Understanding
the Text

Check Your Understanding

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Reflect on your discussion group experiences and how Literature Circle discussions
contributed to your close reading of text and your ability to analyze meaning and
make connections to ideas within and outside of the text.

122 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Circling the Moon: Literature Circle ACTIVITY

Discussion 2.13

Learning Targets
• Analyze a novel’s literary elements through close reading and collaborative LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Literature Circles, Discussion
discussion.
Groups, Collaborating,
• Collaboratively create a poster representing the synthesis of ideas from close Note-taking
reading and analysis.

1. Work with your teacher to learn your group assignment and the role you will
play in the group analysis and discussions of the final reading of Walk Two
Moons. Then, record information about your role and your group goals below. My Notes
Use the graphic organizer for your group discussions.

My Role

My Goal: During the Literature Circle discussion, I will be sure to:

My Group Members:

Discussion Note-taking Graphic Organizer

An Interesting Point Made by a
Support the Person Provided My Thoughts
Member of the Discussion Group
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 123

ACTIVITY 2.13
Circling the Moon: Literature Circle
continued Discussion
Creating a Synthesis Poster
My Notes 2. Work collaboratively with your Literature Circle group to synthesize the analysis
from your meeting(s) into a creative poster. You should include elements of
each Literature Circle role as follows:
• Interesting and thought-provoking questions from the Discussion Leader.
• Insightful connections or predictions made by the Bridge Builder.
• Images and/or graphic organizers created by the Artist.
• Key quotes identified and interpreted by the Diction Detective.
• Summary statements written by the Reporter.
• A title for your poster based on a theme of the novel Walk Two Moons.

3. After observing other posters, record an important idea that stands out to you
from Walk Two Moons for each literary element.

An important idea about An important idea about An important idea about

a character(s) is . . . a conflict is . . . the plot or subplot is . . .

An important idea about An important idea about Other thoughts I have . . .

the setting is . . . a theme is . . .

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Expository Writing Prompt: Think about your collaborative group experiences
during this unit and your personal response to the experience. Write a paragraph
explaining how communication and collaboration with your Literature Circle group
helped you understand, appreciate, and analyze the novel. Be sure to:
• Use a topic sentence.
• Elaborate with supporting detail and commentary.
• Use transitions.
• Use a variety of sentence structures.
• Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

124 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Responding to Literature EMBEDDED
ACTIVITY X.X
ASSESSMENT 1
continued

Assignment
Write an expository response to the novel Walk Two Moons. Choose one of the My Notes
following prompts:
• Explain how internal or external forces cause one character from the novel to
grow or change.
• Identify one subplot from the novel and explain how it relates to the main plot of
the novel.
• Describe one setting from the novel and explain why it is important to a
character or to the plot.
• Discuss how plot, setting, character, or conflict contributes to one of the
novel’s themes.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to choose and make a plan for your
expository response.
• Which prompt do you feel best prepared to respond to in writing?
• How have the activities in this unit and the Literature Circle roles helped prepare
you for this prompt?
• How can notes from your Literature Circle discussions and the synthesis posters
support your response?

Drafting: Determine the key ideas to include.

• How can your response demonstrate your understanding of literary terms such
as plot/subplot, setting, character, conflict, or theme?
• What elements of an effective expository essay will you use to organize Technology TIP:
your response?
Use a shared drive or online
• Which details from the novel will you use to support your ideas? document storage site to share
and publish your work.
Evaluating and Revising the Draft: Create opportunities to review and
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

revise your work.

• During the process of writing, when can you pause to share and respond
with others?
• What is your plan to include suggestions and revision ideas into your draft?
• How can you revise your draft to use transitions and a variety of sentence
structures?
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well your draft meets the
requirements of the assignment?

Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm that your final draft is ready
for publication.
• How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy, such as proper
spelling and punctuation?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following:
• How would you adjust or change the Literature Circle experience to help you
better analyze text?
Unit 2 • The Power to Change 125
EMBEDDED Responding to Literature
ASSESSMENT 1

SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The response The response The response The response

• conveys original • conveys focused • conveys ideas • lacks analysis or
ideas by analyzing ideas by analyzing unevenly or partially explanation of how
a work of literature a work of literature explains how one literary elements
and explaining and explaining how or more literary contribute to an
thoroughly how one or more literary elements contribute overall text
one or more literary elements contribute to the overall text • uses minimal
elements contribute to the overall text • develops ideas supporting details
to the overall text • develops ideas with with insufficient or and examples.
• develops ideas with supporting details irrelevant supporting
relevant supporting and examples. details and examples.
details and examples.

Structure The response The response The response The response

• introduces the main • introduces the main • provides a weak or • lacks an introduction
idea in an engaging idea clearly unclear introduction • has little or no
manner. • uses an • uses a flawed organizational
• uses a well-chosen organizational or inconsistent structure
organizational structure that organizational • uses few or no
structure that progresses logically structure transitions
progresses smoothly to connect ideas • uses inconsistent, • lacks a conclusion.
to connect ideas. • uses appropriate repetitive, or basic
• uses a variety of transitions to clarify transitions
effective transitions the relationships • provides a weak
purposefully. among ideas or disconnected
• provides a satisfying • provides a logical conclusion.
conclusion. conclusion.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Use of The response The response The response The response
Language • uses literary terms • uses literary terms • uses literary terms • fails to use literary
such as plot/subplot, such as plot/subplot, incorrectly or terms
setting, character, setting, character, insufficiently • lacks command of
conflict, or theme in conflict, or theme • demonstrates partial the conventions of
an insightful manner correctly or inconsistent standard English
• demonstrates • demonstrates command of the capitalization,
command of the adequate command conventions of punctuation, spelling,
conventions of of the conventions standard English grammar, and usage;
standard English of standard English capitalization, frequent errors
capitalization, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, obscure meaning.
punctuation, spelling, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and
grammar, and grammar, and usage (including
usage (including usage (including pronoun agreement,
pronoun agreement, pronoun agreement, sentence variety, and
sentence variety, and sentence variety, and verb tense).
verb tense). verb tense).

126 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 ACTIVITY

and Expository Writing 2.14

Learning Targets
• Analyze and summarize the components of Embedded Assessment 2. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer, Drafting,
• Explore the positive and negative connotations of change, and write Adding, Looping
a frame poem.

Making Connections
In the first half of the unit, you saw how people sometimes turn to nature for My Notes
comfort when going through a significant change in life, just as Sal relied on a tree
for comfort in Walk Two Moons. Similarly, in this half of the unit, you will discover
how animals, a part of nature, can also play a significant role in creating positive
change in a person’s everyday life.

Essential Questions
Now that you have participated in a Literature Circle, would you change your
answer to the first Essential Question on how talking and working with others
can help one analyze a novel? If so, how would you change your answer? If not,
why not?

Developing Vocabulary
Look in your Reader/Writer Notebook at the new Academic Vocabulary words and
Literary Terms you learned in the first half of this unit. Which words do you now
know well, and which do you still need to learn more about?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 2

Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Expository Essay.
Your assignment is to write a multiparagraph expository essay explaining how
people can enhance their lives through observing and interacting with animals.
What can human beings learn from animals? In what ways can they help us? In
your essay, give examples from your own life, from texts you have studied in
this unit, from your independent reading, or from society that help support your
explanation.

In your own words, summarize what you will need to know to complete this
assessment successfully. With your class, create a graphic organizer to represent
the skills and knowledge you will need to complete the tasks identified in the
Embedded Assessment.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 127

ACTIVITY 2.14
Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
continued and Expository Writing
1. Think about how change can have positive or negative connotations—the
My Notes feelings and ideas associated with a word in addition to its actual meaning.
Brainstorm the feelings associated with a variety of changes. As you fill in
the graphic organizer below, use three different colors: one color for positive
changes, another for negative changes, and a third for neutral changes.
• In the inner circle: List words and images to represent changes that have
happened in your life.
• In the outer circle: List words and images to represent changes that
characters have experienced in texts you have read.
• Between the lines of the box and the edge of the outer circle, list words and
images to represent changes that you have observed in society (think about
changes in science/technology, entertainment, the economy, your country,
or your community).

Changes in Society

Changes in Texts

Changes in My Life

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

128 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.14
continued

2. You have now read several texts and explored different types of change. Revisit
your frame poem from Unit 1. Transform that poem or create a new one that My Notes
shows what you have learned about the concept of change so far and that adds
details from the changes you have seen in your reading and society.

Consider using the following frame:

Title
1 I used to think change was ;
now I understand .
2 Change is . [one word]
3 I changed. I used to ;
INDEPENDENT
now I . READING LINK
4 Sal changed. With help from your teacher,
librarian, and peers, find
a book in which humans
[character/example from a text]. observe or interact with
animals. It could be a
5 The things around me changed. We used to think biography or autobiography.
A biography is the story of
now [example from society]. another person’s life. An
6 Change . autobiography is the story
of one’s own life.
7 Change is [repeat word from line 2].

Check Your Understanding

How does the process of writing a poem compare and contrast with the process My Notes
of writing an expository essay?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 129

ACTIVITY Changing Genres:
2.15 Transforming a Tale
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Apply reading strategies to the same fairy tale in different genres.
Brainstorming, Marking the
Text, Summarizing • Mark the text of a sample expository essay to identify key elements.

Before Reading
1. Many classic fairy tales involve animals or magical creatures. Add more titles of
My Notes such fairy tales to the list below.
The Little Mermaid

2. With a partner or a small group, identify the animals or magical creatures in

as many fairy tales as you can. The first person will name a story, and the next
person will identify an animal or magical creature from that story and then name
another story. Continue until you run out of stories.

3. In the Disney film The Little Mermaid, the story ends with Ariel and the prince
getting married and living happily ever after. The original fairy tale by Hans
Christian Anderson ends quite differently. Read the excerpt below and mark
the text by hightlighting sensory details and clues that help show you that this
ending is different from the Disney ending.

The little mermaid drew back the crimson curtain of the tent, and beheld the
fair bride with her head resting on the prince’s chest. She bent down and kissed
his fair brow, then looked at the sky on which the rosy dawn grew brighter
and brighter; then she glanced at the sharp knife, and again fixed her eyes on
the prince, who whispered the name of his bride in his dreams. She was in his
thoughts, and the knife trembled in the hand of the little mermaid: then she

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

flung it far away from her into the waves; the water turned red where it fell, and
the drops that spurted up looked like blood. She cast one more lingering, half-
fainting glance at the prince, and then threw herself from the ship into the sea,
and thought her body was dissolving into foam.

Work with a partner to summarize the original ending in just one or two
sentences.

130 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.15
continued

During Reading
4. Read this poem that is based on the original ending of “The Little Mermaid.” Literary Terms
Mark the text for descriptive language, including sensory details and figurative A stanza is a group of lines,
language. In the margins, summarize the main point of each stanza. usually similar in length
and pattern, that form a
unit within a poem.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Judith Viorst is a journalist and a writer who writes fiction and nonfiction
for both adults and children. Her well-known and loved children’s classic
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels GRAMMAR USAGE
are based on the adventures of her own three sons. Poetic Punctuation
First words of poetic lines
are most often capitalized
Poetry even though they do not
always begin a sentence.
Look at the capitalization of
. . . And Although the Little Mermaid first words and sentences in
this poem.
Sacrificed Everything to Win
the Love of the Prince, the Prince (Alas)
Decided to Wed Another My Notes

by Judith Viorst

I left the castle of my mer-king father,

Where seaweed gardens sway in pearly sand.
I left behind sweet sisters and kind waters
To seek a prince’s love upon the land.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5 My tongue was payment for the witch’s potion

(And never would I sing sea songs again).
My tail became two human legs to dance on,
But I would always dance with blood and pain.

I risked more than my life to make him love me.

10 The prince preferred another for his bride.
I always hate the ending to this story:
They lived together happily; I died.

But I have some advice for modern mermaids

Who wish to save great sorrow and travail:
15 Don’t give up who you are for love of princes.
He might have liked me better with my tail.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 131

ACTIVITY 2.15
Changing Genres:
continued Transforming a Tale
After Reading
My Notes 5. Explain why you think Disney changed the ending for the film version of
“The Little Mermaid.” Which ending do you prefer, and why?

During Reading
6. As you read the expository essay , mark the text to identify the following
elements of organization:
• Highlight the introduction in yellow.
• Circle the hook and underline the thesis statement.
• Highlight each support paragraph in green.
• Highlight the topic sentences in a third color and put an asterisk by transition
words.
• Highlight the conclusion in a fourth color.

Expository Essay

He Might Have Liked Me Better

GRAMMAR USAGE
Sentence Variety
With My Tail
Use both semicolons and by Ima Mermaid
transitions to combine

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

sentences in your writing.
When you have two complete Have you heard of the story about giving up everything for the one you love?
thoughts that are closely You know, the way they say true lovers often do? My advice is, don’t do it! I gave
related, you may connect up my voice for a chance to win the love of a prince. It was a bad bargain and the
them with a semicolon: change in my life was immediate. When I was a girl, I was safe and happy and
I wasn’t happy or strong; powerful, but now that I am on land, I am sick and lonely and weak.
I was sad and weak. Before I relinquished my voice, I didn’t realize how strong and happy I was.
You may also use a transition I had a loving family and friends and my voice was celebrated by all who heard
directly after the semicolon: it. I sang sea songs for all the other mer-people, who listened with pleasure and
I risked more than my life to appreciation. My singing was like the gentle sound of wind chimes swaying in the
make him love me; however, sea breezes. I took my beautiful voice and my carefree life under the sea for granted.
the prince preferred another I thought a better life awaited me on the land. All I needed was two legs and the
for his bride. prince. My life changed forever when I decided to trade my voice for the chance to
live happily ever after. I got my wish to live on land and became like other two-
legged creatures. I believed the change would make all the difference.

132 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.15
continued

But even though I was able to run, and walk, and dance, I still was unable to
win the prince’s love. I could not express to him who I was, what I believed, and My Notes
who I loved, because I had no voice. I had legs and love, but with no voice I couldn’t
convince the prince of my love. Furthermore, my new legs and my ignorance about
the ways of the land made my life difficult. The prince pined for the mermaid he
lost, the one with the beautiful voice, and when he could not have her, he looked
elsewhere for love. Unable to talk to anyone, and without anyone around me who
knew me, I was unbearably lonely. I could not be who I was. I wasn’t happy or
strong; I was sad and weak. And finally the prince chose someone else, someone
who was happy and who had a beautiful voice.
The day I changed from a mermaid of the sea to a prisoner of the land was the KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
most important day of my life. Now I live in a little hut by the sea, silently singing What elements of an
effective expository essay
the sea songs of my girlhood, pining for the voice I once had. I hope that other
do you notice in this essay?
people who hear my story will learn not to give up too much of themselves in
pursuit of love.

Check Your Understanding

• Compare and contrast the poem with the expository essay. How are they similar
or different in terms of the topic or theme? Provide textual evidence in your
explanation.
• What reading strategies helped you make meaning of both genres? Explain.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 133

ACTIVITY Explaining and Interpreting Change
2.16

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Draft an expository paragraph about a change in life.
Graphic Organizer, Drafting,
Marking the Text • Identify the key elements of an introduction to an expository essay.

In the next series of activities, you will practice writing an expository essay
that incoporates examples from your own life, from texts, and from society or
research to support your thesis on the concept of change. Think about changes in
My Notes responsibilities, family relationships, friends, hobbies and interests, school, fears,
physical appearance, and so on.

1. In the graphic organizer below, list each area of change as a topic on the
top line inside a box. Then, on the lines below each box, write one complete
sentence about the topic that could be used as a topic sentence for a paragraph.
Remember that a topic sentence controls the content of a paragraph, contains a
subject, and reveals an opinion.

Changes in Me

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

T.S.: T.S.:

T.S.: T.S.:

134 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.16
continued

2. Read the following expository paragraph, and mark the text as follows:
WORD
• Underline the topic sentence.
CONNECTIONS
• Scan the paragraph and put a star next to the writer’s two new
Roots and Affixes
responsibilities.
The word expository is built on
• Circle the transitional words and phrases.
the Latin root -pos-, meaning
• Put a check mark in front of the sentences that develop each of the writer’s “to put” or “to place.” The
new responsibilities with commentary. Latin prefix -ex means “out”
or “from.” Exposition means
Sample Expository Paragraph “to put out” in the sense of “to
make public.” The suffix -ory
I have always had chores to do around the house, but this year I have more to makes an adjective.
do than ever before. The first thing that happened was that I got my first pet! Jeff,
the gerbil, was a gift from my aunt, whose pet gerbil, Fluffy, had babies. I got Jeff in
April, and since then I have had total responsibility for his feeding and care. I have
to be sure he has water and food everyday. I also have to clean his cage every week My Notes
and shred newspapers for the bottom of his cage. But the best part of this job is that
I have to play with him every day so that he gets plenty of exercise. My mom also
expects me to take care of my little brother for a little while every day. Mainly, this
means going into his room and playing with him for 30 minutes just before dinner.
My mom asked me to do this so she can fix dinner without having to worry about
Patrick. Patrick is only three, so I play kids’ games with him like Memory, or I read
a book to him, or sometimes we watch a video. During this time, I’m the only one
who takes care of him. Sometimes, I have to feed him or take him to the bathroom.
I like taking care of my brother, and my mom really appreciates it. Taking care of
Jeff and Patrick is making me more responsible.
Expository Writing Prompt: On separate paper, draft a paragraph explaining an
area of change in your life. Choose one of the areas of change from your graphic
organizer. Be sure to:
• Write a topic sentence that states a topic and an opinion.
• Include supporting details and commentary.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Use transition words and a variety of sentence structures.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 135

ACTIVITY 2.16
Explaining and Interpreting Change
continued

3. In the spaces, mark “A” if you agree and “D” if you disagree with the statement
My Notes about change.
1. Change cannot be avoided.
2. Change can be a good thing.
3. People never really change.
4. Change can ruin a friendship.
5. Without change, a person cannot grow.
6. Change is hard work.
7. It’s possible for one person to change the world.
8. Change is usually uncomfortable.
9. You should not try to change other people.
10. Nothing ever really changes.

4. Choose one of the statements you strongly agree with, and explain why.

Literary Terms 5. Read the following sample introduction to an essay about change. Mark the text
An introduction is the opening as follows:
part of an essay, which should • Underline the hook.
get the reader’s attention
• Highlight the thesis statement.
and indicate the topic. The
hook in the introduction is a • Circle or use a different color highlighter for the word that you think best
compelling idea or statement describes the topic of the essay.
designed to get the reader’s
attention. A thesis statement Benjamin Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
is a sentence in the introduction This means that in order to be truly alive, one must be changing and growing.
of an essay that states the

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

I agree because every new experience can make a person change. Sometimes
writer’s position or opinion on
the change is positive, and other times it is negative. Either way, there is no
the topic of the essay.
avoiding change.

6. Fill out the graphic organizer on the next page by interpreting each quote,
deciding if you agree or disagree, and explaining why.

136 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.16
continued

Interpretation: Agree or Reason: Why do you

Quotation
What does it mean? Disagree? agree or disagree?
“When you’re finished
changing, you’re finished.”
–Benjamin Franklin

“There’s nothing wrong with

change, if it is in the right
direction.”
–Winston Churchill

“If you don't like something,

change it.
If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”
–Maya Angelou

“Be the change you want

to see in the world.”
–Mahatma Ghandi

“Not everything that is faced

can be changed.
But nothing can be
changed until it is faced.”
–James Arthur Baldwin
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“They say time changes

things, but you actually have
to change them yourself.”
-–Andy Warhol

Expository Writing Prompt: Choose a quote from the graphic organizer, and use
it as you draft an introductory paragraph on the topic of change.
Be sure to:
• Include a hook.
• Write a statement about the quote.
• Include a thesis that states a strong opinion about your agreement with the
quote.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 137

ACTIVITY Writing and Changing Together
2.17

Learning Targets
SUGGESTED STRATEGIES: • Draft a conclusion to an expository essay.
Drafting, Collaborating,
Replacing • Revise expository writing to include parallel structure.

1. You have already written an introduction for an expository essay and an

expository paragraph about a change in your life. Work together with your class
to draft an additional body paragraph about a change in a character from a book
My Notes or story you have read together. Be sure to include these elements:
• Topic sentence: A sentence that includes a subject and an opinion that works
directly to support the thesis
• Transitions: Words used to connect ideas (for example, for instance)
• Supporting information: Specific examples, details, evidence, and facts
• Commentary: Sentences that explain how the information is relevant to the
thesis/topic sentence and bring a sense of closure to the paragraph

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

2. On a separate page, work with a partner or small group to draft another

expository paragraph about a change in the world. Begin by revisiting the
graphic organizer you completed in Activity 2.14. Agree on a change that has
taken place in society, science/technology, entertainment, the economy, your
country, or your community. Make sure you include all the elements of a body
paragraph listed above.

138 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.17
continued

3. With your class and your writing group, discuss the elements of an effective
conclusion. What questions should a conclusion answer? Literary Terms
A conclusion is one or
more paragraphs that bring
the essay to a close and
leave an impression with
the reader.

4. Read through your introduction and three body paragraphs on the topic of
change. Write one sentence that sums up what you said about change (the My Notes
literal). Add a sentence that explains what change means to you, other people,
and the world (the interpretive.) Add at least one more sentence explaining why
change matters (the universal).
Literal:

Interpretive:

Universal:

5. You have now constructed all of the elements of an expository essay about
change. Organize the paragraphs using the outline below, and then follow your
teacher’s instructions to prepare a cohesive draft before revising.
I. Introduction (See Activity 2.16)
II. Support Paragraph about a change in yourself (See Activity 2.16)
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

III. Support Paragraph about a change from a text (this activity)

IV. Support Paragraph about a change from society (this activity)
V. Conclusion (this activity)

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 139

ACTIVITY 2.17
Writing and Changing Together
continued

My Notes Introducing the Strategy: Replacing

When you revise by replacing, you focus on your use of language to create
meaning and effect. Begin by circling words that are meaningless, boring,
or awkwardly placed. For each circled word, select two new words and write
them above the original word or in the margin. Use a variety of resources to
find new words, including a thesaurus, your Reader/Writer Notebook, and the
Word Wall. Read your sentence twice, each time with a different replacement
word. Decide which word most precisely conveys your intended meaning, and
cross out the other.

6. Revise the conclusion below, using the replacing strategy. Circle three words to
replace, and write them underneath the paragraph. Use your vocabulary
resources to select two replacement words for each circled word. Read the
sentence(s) twice, each time with a different word. Circle the best option.

Change is good. Some people try not to change, but they are just wasting their
time. I like change because it keeps me from being bored all the time. Try not
to think about bad changes because that will just make you sad. Instead think
about the good things that have happened to you, and you will realize that those
are changes too.

Word 1: Replacement Options: 1. 2.

Word 2: Replacement Options: 1. 2.
Word 3: Replacement Options: 1. 2.

7. Practice: Look at your expository essay on change. Circle three words to

replace, and use your vocabulary resources to select two replacement words
for each circled word. Record your work below. Read the sentence(s) twice,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

each time with a different word. Circle the best option. Finally, explain how your
revisions strengthen the text.

Word 1: Replacement Options: 1. 2.

Word 2: Replacement Options: 1. 2.
Word 3: Replacement Options: 1. 2.

140 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.17
continued

Language and Writer’s Craft: Parallel Structure GRAMMAR USAGE

Parallel structure involves arranging words, phrases, and clauses in a series using Commas
the same grammatical structure to show that two or more similar things are of Use commas to separate
equal importance. Using parallel structure is a way of composing interesting and words and word groups in a
effective sentences. You can sometimes improve sentences by combining two or series of three or more items.
three ideas into one sentence. Include a comma before the
conjunction.
The following sentences contain a series of items in parallel structure. Use these
Do not use commas in a
sentences as patterns to copy. Notice especially the punctuation.
series when all items are
• Carrie loved swimming, running, and playing tennis. linked by and, or, or nor.
• His eyes were swollen shut, his face was red and puffy, and his nose was
lopsided.
• Every day John walked in the door, threw his backpack on the chair, and opened
the refrigerator. My Notes
• You may sit in the back, you may sit in the front, or you may sit anywhere
in between.

8. Combine the ideas in the following sentences using parallel structure. These
sentences are taken from the excerpt from Travels With Charley and the article
“Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal,” both of which are stories about dogs that
you will read later in this unit.
• Charley became a maniac. He leaped all over me. He cursed and growled.
He also snarled and screamed.

• Marley chewed couches. He slashed screens. He also was a slinger of drool

and a tipper of trash cans.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

9. Reread your expository essay about change. Apply the revision strategies that
you have learned in this unit to improve your writing.
• Combine ideas by using parallel structure or compound sentences.
• Add details, commentary, and figurative language.
• Replace words to make your language more precise, interesting, and original.

Check Your Understanding

Reflect on the changes you made to your essay and how these changes improved
your writing. What will you be sure to do when you write your next expository
essay?

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 141

ACTIVITY Traveling with Charley:
2.18 Literary Nonfiction
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze the genre of literary nonfiction and summarize key ideas.
Chunking, Diffusing, Visualizing
• Find textual evidence to support my analysis of an author’s conclusion.

Before Reading
My Notes 1. Quickwrite: What is the longest road trip you have ever taken in a car? Where
did you go, and with whom? What were the positives and negatives of the trip?
Write your answers in the My Notes space.

Introducing the Strategy: Diffusing

With this strategy, you use context clues to help find the meaning of unknown
words. When diffusing, underline words that are unfamiliar. Think of two
possible substitutions (synonyms), and confirm your definition. You can
confirm your definition by checking reference sources such as a dictionary or
a thesaurus.

2. Your teacher will model how to diffuse a text, starting with the first chunk
of the excerpt from Travels with Charley. In a small group, use context clues
and dictionaries to diffuse the text of an additional chunk. Finally, meet with
students who diffused the other chunks in order to share your notes and diffuse
the rest of the text.

Literary Terms During Reading

Nonfiction text is writing that 3. Travels with Charley is a nonfiction story. As you read, mark the text by
is based on facts and actual highlighting passages with strong imagery and description that you can picture
events. In contrast, fiction in your head. For each chunk, write a one-sentence summary in the My Notes
is writing that consists of section and sketch a picture of the scene with a caption.
imagined events.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Imagery refers to the ABOUT THE AUTHOR
descriptive or figurative John Steinbeck (1902 – 1968) was born in California. He wrote several novels
language used to create word
and short stories but is best known for The Grapes of Wrath. He won the
pictures.
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. In the fall of 1960, Steinbeck decided that
he had lost touch with America. He outfitted a three-quarter-ton pickup truck
with a camper shell and set off from his home in New York with his French
poodle, Charley, to drive cross-country. The idea was that he would travel
alone, stay at campgrounds, and reconnect with the country by talking to the
locals he met along the way. Steinbeck’s account of his journey, Travels with
Charley: In Search of America, became a bestseller and classic of American
travel writing.

142 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.18
continued

Literary Nonfiction
My Notes
from
Travels with Charley:
In Search of America
by John Steinbeck

Chunk 1
I must confess to a laxness in the matter of National Parks. I haven’t visited
many of them. Perhaps this is because they enclose the unique, the spectacular,
the astounding—the greatest waterfall, the deepest canyon, the highest cliff, the
most stupendous works of man or nature. And I would rather see a good Brady
photograph than Mount Rushmore. For it is my opinion that we enclose and
celebrate the freaks of our nation and of our civilization. Yellowstone National Park
is no more representative of America than is Disneyland.
This being my natural attitude, I don’t know what made me turn sharply
south and cross a state line to take a look at Yellowstone. Perhaps it was a
fear of my neighbors. I could hear them say, “You mean you were that near
to Yellowstone and didn’t go? You must be crazy.” Again it might have been
the American tendency in travel. One goes, not so much to see but to tell
afterward. Whatever my purpose in going to Yellowstone, I’m glad I went
because I discovered something about Charley I might never have known.
Chunk 2
A pleasant-looking National Park man checked me in and then he said,
“How about that dog? They aren’t permitted in except on leash.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because of the bears.”
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“Sir,” I said, “this is a unique dog. He does not live by tooth or fang. He
respects the right of cats to be cats although he doesn’t admire them. He turns
his steps rather than disturb an earnest caterpillar. His greatest fear is that
someone will point out a rabbit and suggest that he chase it. This is a dog of
peace and tranquility. I suggest that the greatest danger to your bears will be
pique at being ignored by Charley.”
The young man laughed. “I wasn’t so much worried about the bears,” he
said. “But our bears have developed intolerance for dogs. One of them might
demonstrate his prejudice with a clip on the chin, and then—no dog.”
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
“I’ll lock him in the back, sir. I promise you Charley will cause no ripple in the What is the Ranger’s
bear world, and as an old bear-looker, neither will I.” attitude toward bears?
What is Steinbeck’s?
“I just have to warn you,” he said. “I have no doubt your dog has the best of
intentions. On the other hand, our bears have the worst. Don’t leave food about.
Not only do they steal but they are critical of anyone who tries to reform them. In
a word, don’t believe their sweet faces or you might get clobbered. And don’t let the
dog wander. Bears don’t argue.”

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 143

ACTIVITY 2.18
Traveling with Charley:
continued Literary Nonfiction
Chunk 3
My Notes We went on our way into the wonderland of nature gone nuts, and you will
have to believe what happened. The only way I can prove it would be to get a bear.
Less than a mile from the entrance I saw a bear beside the road, and it ambled
out as though to flag me down. Instantly a change came over Charley. He shrieked
with rage. His lips flared, showing wicked teeth that have some trouble with a dog
biscuit. He screeched insults at the bear, which hearing, the bear reared up and
seemed to me to overtop Rocinante. Frantically I rolled the windows shut and,
swinging quickly to the left, grazed the animal, then scuttled on while Charley
raved and ranted beside me, describing in detail what he would do to that bear if he
could get at him. I was never so astonished in my life. To the best of my knowledge
Charley had never seen a bear, and in his whole history had showed great tolerance
for every living thing. Besides all this, Charley is a coward, so deep-seated a coward
that he has developed a technique for concealing it. And yet he showed every
evidence of wanting to get out and murder a bear that outweighed him a thousand
to one. I don’t understand it.
Chunk 4
A little farther along two bears showed up, and the effect was doubled. Charley
became a maniac. He leaped all over me, he cursed and growled, snarled and
screamed. I didn’t know he had the ability to snarl. Where did he learn it? Bears
were in good supply, and the road became a nightmare. For the first time in his
life Charley resisted reason, even resisted a cuff on the ear. He became a primitive
killer lusting for the blood of his enemy, and up to this moment he had no enemies.
In a bear-less stretch, I opened the cab, took Charley by the collar, and locked him
in the house. But that did no good. When we passed other bears he leaped on the
table and scratched at the windows trying to get out at them. I could hear canned
goods crashing as he struggled in his mania. Bears simply brought out the Hyde
in my Jekyll-headed dog. What could have caused it? Was it a pre-breed memory
of a time when the wolf was in him? I know him well. Once in a while he tries a

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

bluff, but it is a palpable lie. I swear that this was no lie. I am certain that if he were
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS released he would have charged every bear we passed and found victory or death.
Describe how Steinbeck feels Chunk 5
at the change in Charley’s It was too nerve-wracking, a shocking spectacle, like seeing an old, calm friend
behavior.
go insane. No amount of natural wonders, of rigid cliffs and belching waters, of
smoking springs could even engage my attention while that pandemonium went on.
After about the fifth encounter I gave up, turned Rocinante about, and retraced
my way. If I had stopped the night and bears gathered to my cooking, I dare not
think what would have happened.
At the gate the park guard checked me out. “You didn’t stay long. Where’s
the dog?”
“Locked up back there. And I owe you an apology. That dog has the heart and
soul of a bear-killer and I didn’t know it. Heretofore he has been a little tender-
hearted toward an underdone steak.”

144 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.18
continued

“Yea!” he said. “That happens sometimes. That’s why I warned you. A bear dog
would know his chances, but I’ve seen a Pomeranian go up like a puff of smoke. You My Notes
know, a well-favored bear can bat a dog like a tennis ball.”
Chunk 6
I moved fast, back the way I had come, and I was reluctant to camp for fear
there might be some unofficial non-government bears about. That night I spent in
a pretty auto court near Livingston. I had my dinner in a restaurant, and when I
had settled in with a drink and a comfortable chair and my bathed bare feet on the
carpet with red roses, I inspected Charley. He was dazed. His eyes held a faraway
look and he was totally exhausted, emotionally no doubt. Mostly he reminded me
of a man coming out of a long, hard drunk—worn out, depleted, and collapsed.
He couldn’t eat his dinner, he refused the evening walk, and once we were in he
collapsed on the floor and went to sleep. In the night I heard him whining and
yapping, and when I turned on the light his feet were making running gestures
and his body jerked and his eyes were wide open, but it was only a night bear.
I awakened him and gave him some water. This time he went to sleep and didn’t stir
all night. In the morning he was still tired. I wonder why we think the thoughts and
emotions of animals are simple.

After Reading
4. Underline the last line of the text. What conclusion does Steinbeck make
about animals?

5. What happened in the text that led him to this conclusion? With a partner or
small group, go back through the text looking for sentences or passages that
support Steinbeck’s conclusion. Copy a line or summarize a passage from INDEPENDENT
the text: READING LINK
Use at least two of the
reading strategies from this
activity (diffusing, chunking,
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

6. Describe how the line or passage supports Steinbeck’s conclusion about

visualizing) on your
animals. independent reading novel.
Which did you choose, and
how did they help you make
7 Why do you think Steinbeck brought his dog along on this trip? meaning of the text?

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 145

ACTIVITY Reflecting on Marley:
2.19 Textual Evidence
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Identify and interpret textual evidence.
Marking the Text, Graphic
Organizer • Write a response to a prompt, using textual evidence to support a thesis.

Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: What kinds of animals do you think make the best pets? Why?
My Notes

During Reading
2. You will next read a newspaper column written by John Grogan about the
death of his dog Marley. Mark the text by underlining or highlighting phrases,
sentences, and clauses that tell why Grogan loved his dog despite his many
faults. Use the My Notes section to record your reasons for choosing each piece
Literary Terms of evidence.
Textual evidence refers
to quotations, summaries,
or paraphrases from text ABOUT THE AUTHOR
passages used to support John Grogan (1957 – ) is a newspaper columnist and the author of the bestselling
a position. memoir Marley and Me, a book based on the ideas in the article you are about
to read. Marley and Me has been adapted into a young reader’s edition, several
children’s books, and a major motion picture. Grogan says he began writing in
school because he “was so bad at everything else.” In addition to Marley and
Me, he has written articles for numerous magazines and newspapers.

Memoir

Saying Farewell

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to a Faithful Pal
by John Grogan, Inquirer Columnist

In the gray of dawn, I found the shovel in the garage and walked down the hill to
where the lawn meets the woods. There, beneath a wild cherry tree, I began to dig.
The earth was loose and blessedly unfrozen, and the work went fast. It was
odd being out in the backyard without Marley, the Labrador retriever who for 13
years made it his business to be tight by my side for every excursion out the door,
whether to pick a tomato, pull a weed, or fetch the mail. And now here I was alone,
digging him this hole.
“There will never be another dog like Marley,” my father said when I told him
the news, that I finally had to put the old guy down. It was as close to a compliment
as our pet ever received.

146 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.19
continued

No one ever called him a great dog—or even a good dog. He was as wild as a
banshee and as strong as a bull. He crashed joyously through life with a gusto most My Notes
often associated with natural disasters.
He’s the only dog I’ve ever known to get expelled from obedience school.
Marley was a chewer of couches, a slasher of screens, a slinger of drool, a tipper
of trash cans. He was so big he could eat off the kitchen table with all four paws
planted on the floor—and did so whenever we weren’t looking.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Marley shredded more mattresses and dug through more drywall than I care What kind of personality
to remember, almost always out of sheer terror brought on by his mortal enemy, does Marley have?
thunder.

CUTE BUT DUMB

He was a majestic animal, nearly 100 pounds of quivering muscle wrapped in a
luxurious fur coat the color of straw. As for brains, let me just say he chased his tail
til the day he died, apparently he was on the verge of a major canine breakthrough.
That tail could clear a coffee table in one swipe. We lost track of the things
he swallowed, including my wife’s gold necklace, which we eventually recovered,
shinier than ever. We took him with us once to a chi-chi outdoor café and tied him
to the heavy wrought-iron table. Big mistake. Marley spotted a cute poodle and off
he bounded, table in tow.
But his heart was pure.
When I brought my wife home from the doctor after our first pregnancy ended
in a miscarriage, that wild beast gently rested his blocky head in her lap and just
whimpered. And when babies finally arrived, he somehow understood they were
something special and let them climb all over him, tugging his ears and pulling out
little fistfuls of fur. One day when a stranger tried to hold one of the children, our
jolly giant showed a ferocity we never imagined was inside him.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

As the years passed, Marley mellowed, and sleeping became his favorite
pastime. By the end, his hearing was shot, his teeth were gone, his hips so riddled
with arthritis he barely could stand. Despite the infirmities, he greeted each day
with the mischievous glee that was his hallmark. Just days before his death, I caught
him with his head stuck in the garbage pail.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
What are the connotations
LIFE LESSONS LEARNED of the words “loopy” and
A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. “unbridled?” How do these
words help the reader
Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, understand Marley?
about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate
the simple things—a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter
sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of
adversity.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 147

ACTIVITY 2.19
Reflecting on Marley:
continued Textual Evidence
Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else,
My Notes unwavering loyalty.
When his time came last week, I knelt beside him on the floor of the animal
hospital, rubbing his gray snout as the veterinarian discussed cremation with me.
No, I told her, I would be taking him home with me.
The next morning, our family would stand over the hole I had dug and say
goodbye. The kids would tuck drawings in beside him. My wife would speak for us
all when she’d say: “God, I’m going to miss that big, dumb lug.”
But now I had a few minutes with him before the doctor returned. I thought
back over his 13 years—the destroyed furniture and goofy antics; the sloppy kisses
and utter devotion. All in all, not a bad run.
I didn’t want him to leave this world believing all his bad press. I rested my
forehead against his and said: “Marley, you are a great dog.”

After Reading
3. Copy your textual evidence into the graphic organizer below.

Importance: What does the

Textual Evidence evidence tell you about Grogan’s
feelings for his dog?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Expository Writing Prompt: Why do people have pets? Using John Grogan and
Marley as examples, explain what human beings love about and learn from their
pets. Be sure to:
• Write a thesis statement (or topic sentence if the response is only one
paragraph) including the topic and your opinion.
• Use textual evidence and supporting details from the newspaper column.
• Add personal commentary.

148 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Making Connections ACTIVITY

Through Research 2.20

Learning Targets
• Closely read an autobiographical text. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
KWHL, Diffusing, Visualizing
• Conduct research to find textual evidence.

Before Reading
1. You know that pets are dependent on humans. How are humans dependent My Notes
on pets?

During Reading
3. As you read, mark the text and take notes in the My Notes space when you find
possible answers to your questions or something that makes you think of a
new question.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Temple Grandin (1947 – ) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is
an American doctor of animal science and a professor at Colorado State
University, a bestselling author, and a consultant to the livestock industry
on animal behavior. As a person with high-functioning autism, Grandin is
also widely noted for her work in autism advocacy. Autism is a disorder
of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and
communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Autobiography

“Dogs Make Us Human”

from Animals in Translation
by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson

The aborigines have a saying: “Dogs make us human.” Now we know that’s
probably literally true. People wouldn’t have become who we are today if we hadn’t
co-evolved with dogs.
I think it’s also true, though in a different way, that all animals make us human.
That’s why I hope we will start to think more respectfully about animal intelligence
and talent. That would be good for people, because there are a lot of things we can’t
do that animals can. We could use their help.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 149

ACTIVITY 2.20
Making Connections
continued Through Research
But it would be good for animals, too. Dogs first started living with people
My Notes because people needed dogs and dogs needed people. Now dogs still need people,
but people have forgotten how much they need dogs for anything besides love and
companionship. That’s probably okay for a dog who’s been bred to be a companion
animal, but a lot of the bigger breeds and practically all of the mix breeds were built
for work. Having a job to do is a part of their nature; it’s who they are. The sad thing
is, now that hardly anyone makes his living herding sheep, most dogs are out of a job.
It doesn’t have to be that way. I read a little story on the Web site for the
American Veterinary Medical Association that shows the incredible things animals
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
What is the central idea of this are capable of doing, and would do if we gave them a chance. It was about a dog
text? named Max who had trained himself to monitor his mistress’s blood sugar levels
even while she was asleep. No one knows how Max was doing this, but my guess
is people must smell slightly different when their blood sugar is low, and Max had
figured that out. The lady who owned him was a severe diabetic, and if her blood
sugar levels got low during the night Max would wake up her husband and bug him
until he got up and took care of her.
You have to think about that story for only five seconds to realize how much
dogs have to offer. Dogs and a lot of other animals.

After Reading
3. Write a short summary of each paragraph in this text. Use the My Notes space
beside the paragraphs or your Reader/Writer Notebook.
4. What questions do you have about dogs as pets after reading this text? What
else would you like to know?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Conducting Research
Expository writing provides information about a topic, which often means
researching the topic to learn more about it and to find evidence for your writing.
5. What do you know about conducting research? What experience do you have
with it? Number the lines below 1 to 6 to show a logical order for the research
process.

Write questions that can be answered through research.

Evaluate sources.
Identify the topic, issue, or problem.
Communicate findings.
Draw conclusions.
Gather evidence and refocus when necessary.

150 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.20
continued

6. Use a KWHL graphic organizer to guide your research on the topic of animals
helping people. First, fill out the first two columns.
K: What do you know about the ways that animals help people? Try to think of
at least three ways that animals can help people live better lives.
W: What do you want to know about the ways that animals help people?
Second, fill in the “H” column with the title and author of the text you just read.

Topic: Animals Helping People

K W H L
Thinking about what Thinking about what Thinking about HOW Thinking about
you already KNOW you WANT to know and where you will find what you LEARNED
helps you focus on helps you create information helps you helps you draw
your topic. questions to guide your identify possible resources conclusions in order
research. that match your questions. to communicate your
findings.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

7. Add to the L column information about what you learned from reading “Dogs
Make Us Human.” What did you learn about animals helping people? INDEPENDENT
8. Add to the W column new questions you have. In the H column brainstorm how READING LINK
and where you will conduct research to answer your questions. Is there anything related
to the research topic in
9. Follow your teacher’s instructions on how to gather more research about your independent reading?
animals helping people. As you do, complete the KWHL chart. Add information to your
KWHL chart.
Check Your Understanding
After doing additional research and reading, summarize the research process
you used and describe how it helped you answer the questions you wrote in your
KWHL chart.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 151

ACTIVITY Synthesizing Temple’s Story
2.21

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze and summarize the main ideas in a text.
Graphic Organizer, Marking the
Text, Double-Entry Journal • Apply reading strategies to an autobiography and use textual evidence to
respond to a writing prompt.

1. As you view clips from the biographical film Temple Grandin, use the double-
entry journal below to take notes. Record descriptions, events, and observations
My Notes on the left side. Add your questions, connections, predictions, responses, and
commentary on the right side.

Biographical Film Temple Grandin My Personal Commentary

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

2. Write a thesis statement about the film Temple Grandin. Be sure to include the
topic and an opinion.

152 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.21
continued

3. You have used a variety of reading strategies in this unit. Rate your
understanding of each strategy in the chart below. Then add one or two
additional reading strategies that you are ready to use on your own. Consult
the Reading Strategies section in the Resources at the end of this book for a
complete list and description of all the reading strategies.

I’m still getting familiar I am comfortable using this I am ready to use this
Reading Strategy
with this strategy. strategy with a little help. strategy on my own.

Chunking the Text

Using Context Clues

(Diffusing)

Marking the Text

Questioning the Text

Graphic Organizer

Summarizing

Double-Entry Journal
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Before Reading
4. Choose two of these strategies to help you make meaning of the text you will My Notes
read next.

Strategy 1:

Strategy 2:

During Reading
5. As you read the text, use the strategies you listed and look for textual evidence
of how animals helped the author deal with her autism.

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 153

ACTIVITY 2.21
Synthesizing Temple’s Story
continued

Autobiography
My Notes

“My Story”
from Animals in Translation
by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson

1 People who aren’t autistic always ask me about the moment I realized I could
understand the way animals think. They think I must have had an epiphany.
2 But it wasn’t like that. It took me a long time to figure out that I see things
about animals other people don’t. And it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I
finally realized I had one big advantage over the feedlot owners who were hiring me
to manage their animals: being autistic. Autism made school and social life hard,
but it made animals easy.
3 I started to fall in love with animals in high school when my mother sent me
to a special boarding school for gifted children with emotional problems. Back
then they called everything “emotional problems.” Mother had to find a place for
me because I got kicked out of high school for fighting. I got in fights because kids
teased me. They’d call me names, like “Retard,” or “Tape recorder.”
4 They called me Tape Recorder because I’d stored up a lot of phrases in my
memory and I used them over and over again in every conversation. Plus there were
only a few conversations I like to have, so that amplified the effect. I especially like to
talk about the rotor ride at the carnival. I would go up to somebody and say, “I went
to Nantasket Park and I went on the rotor and I really liked the way it pushed me up
against the wall.” Then I say stuff like, “How did you like it?” and they’d say how they
liked it, and then I’d tell the story all over again, start to finish. It was like a loop inside
my head, it just ran over and over again. So the other kids called me Tape Recorder.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5 Teasing hurts. The kids would tease me, so I’d get mad and smack ‘em. That
simple. They always started it, they liked to see me react.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 6 My new school solved that problem. The school had a stable and horses for the
How does Grandin change as kids to ride, and the teachers took away horseback riding privileges if I smacked
a result of her new school? somebody. After I lost privileges enough times I learned just to cry when somebody
did something bad to me. I’d cry, and that would take away the aggression. I still cry
when people are mean to me.
7 Nothing ever happened to the kids who were teasing.

8 The funny thing about the school was, the horses had emotional problems, too.
They had emotional problems because in order to save money the headmaster was
buying cheap horses. They’d been marked down because they had gigantic behavior
problems. They were pretty, their legs were fine, but emotionally they were a mess.
The school had nine horses altogether, and two of them couldn’t be ridden at all.
Half of the horses in that barn had serious psychological problems. But I didn’t
understand that as a fourteen-year-old.
9 So there we all were up at boarding school, a bunch of emotionally disturbed
teenagers living with a bunch of emotionally disturbed animals. There was one
horse, Lady, who was a good horse when you rode her in the ring, but on the trail

154 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 2.21
continued

she would go berserk. She would rear, and constantly jump around and prance; you
had to hold her back with the bridle or she’d bolt to the barn. My Notes
10 Then there was Beauty. You could ride Beauty, but he had very nasty habits like
kicking and biting while you were in the saddle. He would swing his foot up and
kick you in the leg or foot, or turn his head around and bite your knee. You had to
watch out. Whenever you tried to mount Beauty he kicked and bit—you had both
ends coming at you at the same time.…
11 All the horses at the school had been abused. Beauty had been kept locked in
a dairy stanchion all day long. I don’t know why. These were badly abused animals;
they were very, very messed up.
12 But I had no understanding of this as a girl. I was never mean to the horses at the
school (the other kids were sometimes), but I wasn’t any horse-whispering autistic
savant, either. I just loved the horses. I was so wrapped up in them that I spent every
spare moment working the barns. I was dedicated to keeping the barn clean, making
sure the horses were groomed. One of the high points of my high school career was
the day my mom bought me a really nice English bridle and saddle. …
13 Boy did I take care of that saddle. I loved it so much I didn’t even leave it in the
tack room where it belonged. I brought it up to my dorm every day and kept it with
me. I bought special saddle soap and leather conditioner from the saddle shop, and
I spent hours washing and polishing it. …
14 Animals kept me going. I spent every waking minute that I didn’t have to be
studying or going to school with those horses. I even rode Lady at a show. It’s hard
to imagine today, a school keeping a stable of emotionally disturbed and dangerous
horses for its underaged students to ride. These days you can’t even play dodgeball
in gym class because somebody might get hurt. But that’s the way it was. A lot of us
got nipped or stepped on or thrown at that school, but no one was ever seriously
hurt, at least not while I was there. So it worked out.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
15 I wish more kids could ride horses today. People and animals are supposed What does Grandin mean
to be together. We spent quite a long time evolving together, and we used to be by saying “Animals kept me
partners. Now people are cut off from animals unless they have a dog or a cat. going”?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Biography

Excerpt from Chapter 6

Hampshire School for
Wayward Wizards
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows, Embraced Autism and
Changed the World
by Sy Montgomery

1 …But the memories she treasures most from high school are of the horses. All
these years later, she remembers each of them by name. Bay Lady was the horse she
rode most of the time: great in the ring—but halfway on the trail she’d prance and
plunge. Otherwise she was the “perfect lady. ” Star couldn’t compete in horse shows

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 155

ACTIVITY 2.21
Synthesizing Temple’s Story
continued

because she had ankle problems. Circus, a big, gentle horse, died of colic, a digestive
My Notes disease brought on by eating oat straw. Beauty was gorgeous, but he bit and kicked.
Teddy was gentle enough for the littlest kids. King was an old gray horse, so well-
mannered that just about anyone could ride him: then you could graduate to riding
someone like Flash or Silver. Lady was hot-tempered, and her eyes were wild.
“Nobody could ride that horse,” Tina Henegar, another schoolmate, remembered.
“But Temple could—and beautifully. She was the best.”
2 Temple loved them all and could ride better than anyone.

3 It’s no wonder. Horses, like autistic people, are very sensitive to detail and
don’t like change. That’s why a horse might be frightened by a new white hat, but
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
not a familiar black one—or might panic at the sight of a common object like a
Compare the two passages,
wheelbarrow in an unusual place or seen from a different angle. Temple could tell
noticing that both talk about
Temple’s relationship to
when a horse was starting to get nervous: a fearful horse swishes his tail, and the
horses and their importance swishing becomes more rapid with mounting fear. But because Temple also noticed
in her life. Which of the two the same details the horses did—like a bale of hay slightly out of place—she could
selections gives you more make small changes to calm the animal’s fear before it turned to panic.
insight into the significance of 4 Temple spent much of her time in the horse barn. She cleaned the stalls.
this experience? Give textual She refilled the feed bins. She cleaned the leather bridles and saddles and other
evidence to show why you equipment, making repairs if needed. When the farrier came to hammer new shoes
think this. onto the horses’ hooves, she held the reins and kept the horses calm.
5 Back at home, Temple’s mother wished her daughter would study harder and
get better grades instead of riding horses and mending bridles. But Temple was
proud that she now had an important, responsible job in the barn. The welfare of
nine horses depended largely on her care. To Temple, her academic classes didn’t
seem to matter half as much. They were “boring, boring, boring.”
6 Soon she began to find it impossible to concentrate on schoolwork anyway.
Now in high school, she felt that something new and terrible was happening to her.
Her body was changing. The rush of new chemicals her body was producing to
change her into a young woman threw Temple’s unusual brain into overdrive. She
started having panic attacks.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

After Reading
Expository Writing Prompt: How did animals help Temple Grandin deal with the
challenges of autism? Be sure to:
• Write a thesis statement (or topic sentence if the response is only one
paragraph) including the topic and your opinion.
• Use textual evidence and supporting details from both sources.
• Add personal commentary.

156 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Writing an Expository Essay EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2

Assignment
Read the following quotation by John Muir, an American naturalist and writer: LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer, Drafting,
“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the Diffusing, Revising
larger and better in every way.”
Write a multiparagraph expository essay explaining how people can improve their
lives through observing and interacting with animals. In your essay, give examples
from your own life, from texts you have studied in this unit, from your independent My Notes
reading, or from society that help support your explanation.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for your expository essay.
• Which prewriting strategies and graphic organizers could help you brainstorm
a variety of examples from literature, experience, and research?
• Which two or three examples would be the best selections for your essay?
• How can you summarize your response to the prompt in a thesis statement?

Drafting: Determine the structure of your essay.

• How can you restate and interpret the quote in the prompt in order to introduce
your thesis?
• What elements of effective support paragraphs will you use to organize your
response?
• How can you conclude your essay in a way that answers the question “So what?”

Evaluating and Revising the Draft: Create opportunities to review and

revise your work. Technology TIP:
• During the process of writing, when can you pause to share and respond with Use online search tools
others? to research and gather
• What is your plan to include suggestions and revision ideas in your draft? information about your
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

examples.
• How can you use strategies such as adding and replacing to revise your draft?
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well your draft meets the
requirements of the assignment?

Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm that your final draft is ready
for publication.
• How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy, such as proper
spelling and punctuation?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following:
• How did you use a variety of examples from literature, experience, and research
to support your response to the prompt?

Unit 2 • The Power to Change 157

EMBEDDED Writing an Expository Essay
ASSESSMENT 2

SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The essay The essay The essay The essay

• responds to the • responds to the • responds to the • does not respond to
prompt with a clearly prompt with a prompt with an the prompt; response
focused and well- focused and unfocused or is vague or confusing
sustained main idea sustained main idea inconsistently • uses minimal
• integrates relevant • integrates evidence sustained main idea evidence and
evidence from from multiple sources • uses irrelevant or commentary.
various sources (e.g., (e.g., literature, insufficient evidence;
literature, nonfiction, nonfiction, personal may lack multiple
personal experience, experience, research) sources or provide
research) with detail with commentary. weak commentary.
and commentary.

Structure The essay The essay The essay The essay

• introduces the main • introduces the main • introduces the main • does not include an
idea in an engaging idea with a hook and idea with a weak introduction
hook and clear thesis thesis hook or thesis • has little or
• uses an effective • uses an appropriate • uses a flawed no obvious
multiparagraph multiparagraph or inconsistent organizational
organizational organizational organizational structure
structure structure structure • uses few or no
• uses a variety of • uses transitions and • uses transitions transitions and topic
transitions and topic topic sentences to and topic sentences sentences
sentences to create create coherence ineffectively or • lacks a conclusion.
coherence and • provides a conclusion inconsistently
integrate ideas that connects to • provides a weak,
• provides an insightful larger ideas. illogical, or repetitive
conclusion. conclusion.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Use of The essay The essay The essay The essay
Language • uses precise and • uses diction that is • uses basic diction • uses diction that is
accurate diction to appropriate to the inappropriate to the vague or confusing
illustrate the topic topic and purpose topic or purpose • lacks command of
• demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates partial the conventions of
command of the adequate command or inconsistent standard English
conventions of of the conventions command of the capitalization,
standard English of standard English conventions of punctuation, spelling,
capitalization, capitalization, standard English grammar, and usage;
punctuation, spelling, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, frequent errors
grammar, and usage grammar, and usage punctuation, spelling, obscure meaning.
(including parallel (including parallel grammar, and usage
structure, commas structure, commas (including parallel
in a series, and in a series, and structure, commas
semicolons). semicolons). in a series, and
semicolons).

158 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 UNIT

Changing Perspectives
Visual Prompt: How do you think the perspective of the single fish is different from the perspective
of the rest of the fish?

Unit Overview
To change one’s perspective is to change
one’s viewpoint, opinion, or position about
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

something. How many times have you tried to

change someone else’s mind? How often do
others try to change your mind? In this unit,
you will learn about creating an argument and
communicating to particular audiences. You
will identify “hot topics” and take a stand on
your opinion about one hot topic. Through
analyzing informational and argumentative
texts, you will see how others write and create
argumentative texts. You will debate, and you
will write your own argumentative text.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 159

UNIT Changing Perspectives
3

GOALS: Contents
• To analyze informational
Activities
texts
• To practice nonfiction 3.1 Previewing the Unit ..................................................................162
reading strategies
3.2 It Is Time to Argue and Convince ..............................................163
• To support a claim with
reasons and evidence Introducing the Strategy: Paraphrasing
• To engage effectively in 3.3 Peanuts and Pennies: Identifying Claims in an
a variety of collaborative
Argument................................................................................. 166
discussions
Editorial: “Don’t ban peanuts at school, but teach about the
• To write an argumentative
letter dangers,” by Des Moines Register Editorial Board
• To understand and use News Article: “Penny Problem: Not Worth Metal It’s Made Of,” by
simple, compound, and Yunji de Nies
complex sentence structures
3.4 Support the Sport? Creating Support with Reasons
and Evidence ............................................................................170
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Introducing the Strategy: Rereading
controversy
Online Article: “Should Dodge Ball Be Banned in Schools?” by
argument
claim Staff of TIME for Kids
reasons News Article: “Most Dangerous ‘Sport’ of All May Be
evidence Cheerleading,” by Lisa Ling and Arash Ghadishah
research
citation News Article: “High School Football: Would a Pop Warner Ban
textual evidence Limit Concussions?” by Tina Akouris
plagiarism
credible 3.5 Do Your Research: Sources, Citation, and
relevant Credibility ................................................................................ 182
sufficient
3.6 The Formality of It All: Style and Tone ..................................... 188

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Historical Document: “Letter on Thomas Jefferson,” by
John Adams (1776)
Literary Terms
editorial 3.7 A Graphic Is Worth a Thousand Words .................................... 192
tone
News Article: “E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes and Go in
formal style
rhetorical appeals Backpacks,” by Julie Bosman
logos
pathos
3.8 Debate It: Organizing and Communicating an
Argument................................................................................. 197
Introducing the Strategy: Metacognitive Markers
Article: “The Pros and Cons of Social Networking for Teenagers:
A Parent’s Guide,” by Kristin Stanberry
Article: “Social Networking’s Good and Bad Impacts on Kids,”
from Science Daily
Informational Text: “Pro & Con Arguments: ‘Are social
networking sites good for our society?’”

160 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Language and Writer’s
Embedded Assessment 1: Researching and Debating Craft
a Controversy.......................................... 209 • Formal Style (3.6)
• Using Appositives (3.12)
3.9 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2: Preparing for • Revising by Creating
Argumentative Writing .............................................................211 Complex Sentences (3.15)

3.10 Looking at a Model Argumentative Letter ................................214

3.11 Facts and Feelings: Rhetorical Appeals in
Argumentative Writing .............................................................217
Letter: “The First Americans,” by Scott H. Peters, Grand Council
Fire of American Indians
3.12 Citing Evidence ........................................................................ 222
3.13 Playing with Persuasive Diction: Appealing to Pathos .............225
Introducing the Strategy: Adding by Looping
3.14 Writing an Introduction and a Conclusion ............................... 228
3.15 Saying Too Much or Too Little? ................................................ 230
Introducing the Strategy: Deleting
3.16 Preparing to Write an Argument .............................................. 234
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Argumentative Letter ............235
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 161

ACTIVITY Previewing the Unit
3.1

Learning Targets
My Notes • Preview the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit.
• Identify and analyze the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded
Assessment 1 successfully.

Making Connections
In the last unit, you read a novel and other texts about the changes that occur
throughout people’s lives. You also looked at change from different perspectives:
changes in your own life, changes in your community, and changes in the broader
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
world. In this unit, you will examine arguments and how writers try to persuade
A controversy is a public debate
others to agree with them on issues of controversy about which people may disagree.
or dispute concerning a matter
of opinion. A controversial issue
is debatable, or an issue about Essential Questions
which there can be disagreement. Based on your current knowledge, how would you answer these questions?
1. Why do we have controversy in society?

2. How do we communicate in order to convince others?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Developing Vocabulary
Mark the Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms using the QHT strategy. Then,
scan the Contents and find and mark a Wow activity (interesting or fun) and a Whoa
activity (challenging).

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 1

INDEPENDENT
Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 1: Researching and Debating
READING LINK
You will be researching a Controversy.
and presenting an issue for Work collaboratively to research one side of a controversy that is affecting your
Embedded Assessment 1. school, your community, or society, and then participate in a modified debate
If you have an idea for an issue where you argue your position and incorporate a visual display for support.
in which you are interested,
you might start finding and Mark the text for what you will need to know in order to complete this assessment
reading informational material successfully. With your class, create a graphic organizer to represent the skills
about the issue. If you do not and knowledge you will need to complete the tasks identified in the Embedded
yet have an issue, you might Assessment.
read news articles to help you
identify potential issues.

162 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 It Is Time to Argue and Convince ACTIVITY
3.2

Learning Targets
• Infer the meanings of and explain the denotations and connotations of LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Think-Pair-Share, Close
vocabulary words central to the unit.
Reading, Marking the Text,
• Generate a controversial topic of interest. Paraphrasing, Brainstorming,
Quickwrite, Freewriting
1. Quickwrite: Have you ever tried to change the mind of someone in your family?
Were you successful, and if so, how did you convince the person?

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
In formal speech or writing
an argument is a set of
reasons given with the aim
of persuading others that
an action or idea is right or
wrong. Argumentation is
2. Brainstorm all the meanings you know of the word argument. The concept of
the act of formally engaging
argumentation will become important during this unit. in an argument about a
debatable issue.

My Notes

Check your brainstorming in a dictionary, thesaurus, or online reference.

What other definitions can you find for the word argument? Write them in
the My Notes space.

3. What comes to mind when you hear the word controversy? Complete the word
map graphic organizer to explore the meaning of the word.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Definition in Own Words Personal Associations

Visual Representation Examples from Texts, Society, or

History

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 163

ACTIVITY 3.2
It Is Time to Argue and Convince
continued

Introducing the Strategy: Paraphrasing

My Notes To paraphrase is to put a passage of text in your own words. Paraphrased
material is often, but not necessarily, shorter than the original passage.
Paraphrasing can help you understand what you are reading and provide
support for claims in your writing. It is also a useful skill when you are listening
to a speaker and you want to make notes about what the person is saying.

When you communicate your own argument about a controversy or an issue, it is

essential to be able to paraphrase information. Paraphrasing involves putting a
passage into your own words.
To practice paraphrasing, read and paraphrase the following quotes on
controversy.

Original My Paraphrasing

“If it matters, it produces controversy.”

—Jay Greene, retired NASA engineer

“In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have

already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun
striving for ourselves.”
—Buddha

“When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it

ceases to be a subject of interest.”
—William Hazlitt

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

4. Quickwrite: Do you agree or disagree with any of the quotes? Explain.

164 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.2
continued

5. Read the following list of claims relating to controversies from society today and
place a check mark to indicate whether you agree or disagree with each one.

Anticipation Guide: Exploring Hot Topics

Social networking should be banned at school. Agree Disagree

Cell phones and other electronic devices should be banned at school.

Banning homework would hurt a student’s education.

Certain books should be banned from school.

Junk food should be banned from schools.

Schools should ban peanut butter.

Kids should be banned from appearing on reality television.

Plastic bags should be banned.

Plastic water bottles should be banned.

Skateboarding should be banned in public places.

Dangerous sports such as motor racing and boxing should be banned.

Pit bulls should be banned as pets.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Exotic animals should be banned as pets.

Football should be banned in middle school.

Teenagers should be banned from playing violent video games.

6. Freewriting: A controversial topic I feel strongly about is:

INDEPENDENT
Check Your Understanding READING LINK
Are any controversial
Write your answers to the following: topics represented in your
• three things you have learned about an argument independent reading book?
• two hot topics that interest you, and why Write about them in your
Reader/Writer Notebook.
• one thing you learned about paraphrasing
Share your opinion on the
topics, if you have formed
one yet.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 165

ACTIVITY Peanuts and Pennies: Identifying
3.3 Claims in an Argument
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Identify a writer’s claim through writing and sharing.
Chunking, Close Reading,
Paraphrasing, Quickwrite, • Identify reasons for or against a topic and write and share my own claim.
Marking the Text
What Is a claim?
In argumentative writing, the author’s position is known as a claim. The claim
functions like a thesis statement. Identifying the author’s claim helps you
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY understand the author’s opinion or point of view on a topic.
In argumentation a writer makes
a claim stating a position or Often, an author’s claim appears in the opening paragraph. Sometimes the author
opinion about a topic. To claim
states the claim in the middle of the text or even leaves it until the end. In this
is to assert or maintain as a
activity, you will read two texts for which you will identify or infer the writer’s claim.
fact. A claim is the overall thesis
describing the author’s position
on an issue. Before Reading
1. Think about the different meanings of the word claim. Write the meanings
below. For example, one meaning is “to request (claim) something.”

Literary Terms
An editorial is a short essay
in which someone speaking
for a publication expresses an
opinion or takes a stand on an
issue. News sources—such as During Reading
television, radio, magazines, 2. To read actively, mark the text with an asterisk(*) next to anything you agree
newspapers, or online sources—
with and an X next to anything you disagree with.
often publish editorials for their
readers.
Editorial

My Notes Don’t ban peanuts at school,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

but teach about the dangers
Des Moines Register Editorial Board

1 Waukee school officials were considering banning peanut products for all
students in kindergarten through seventh grade to try to protect children with peanut
allergies. The public outcry made officials change their minds. Now the district is
proposing a policy that would “strongly discourage” the products in schools.
2 Fine. “Strongly discouraging” may help raise awareness about the danger of nut
products. Just a whiff can trigger a reaction in some people with severe allergies.
Schools also can do more of what they’re already doing--such as having “peanut
free” lunch tables.
3 And they can do what they do best: Educate. Schools should work with parents
and students to help them learn about the life-threatening dangers nut products
pose for some children. Schools also should provide a list of “safe” foods to send for
classroom treats.

166 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.3
continued

4 Banning peanut products would be unenforceable.

5 Are schools going to frisk a kindergartner or search the backpack of a second- My Notes
grader to see if they’re hiding candy with peanuts inside?

6 A student at Johnston Middle School suffered an allergic reaction to a pretzel-

and-cereal trail mix from the cafeteria. It didn’t even contain nuts but was exposed
to peanut oils in a factory that used them in other products. Are schools supposed
to investigate where prepackaged foods are manufactured and ban them if there are
also nuts in the factory?
7 A ban would not ensure a child with allergies isn’t exposed to harmful
products. Other children will eat peanut butter for breakfast. Kids may snack on
foods manufactured in a plant with peanuts.
8 The larger world isn’t peanut-free. It’s important that children with peanut allergies
learn to protect themselves at a young age, the same way all kids with illnesses should.
Children with severe asthma may need to carry inhalers. Diabetic children need candy
nearby in case their blood sugar dips too low. Children with peanut allergies should
have immediate access to emergency medications to counteract an allergic reaction.
School staff need to be aware of students’ medical conditions and know what to do in
the event of an emergency.
9 A ban would offer little beyond a false sense of security.

After Reading
3. Which of these sentences from the editorial is the BEST example of a claim?
a. Schools also should provide a list of “safe” foods to send for classroom
treats. (Chunk 1 )
GRAMMAR USAGE
b. A ban would offer little beyond a false sense of security. (Chunk 2) Prepositions
c. Don’t ban peanuts at school, but teach about the dangers. (Chunk 1, title) A preposition links the noun
or pronoun following it (its
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

4. Paraphrase the claim of this editorial: object) to another word in a

sentence. The preposition,
its object, and all words
modifying the object make
up a prepositional phrase.
5. Quickwrite: Explain why you agree or disagree with the claim. Then share your Prepositional phrases
position with one or more classmates. Practice speaking clearly, and refer to function as adjectives
evidence from the text to support your position. or adverbs. They show
relationships of time,
location, or direction and
add specific or necessary
detail in sentences. For
example:
student at Johnson Middle
school (adjective phrase
modifies student, provides
detail)
exposed to harmful products
(adverb phrase modifies
exposed, tells what)

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 167

ACTIVITY 3.3
Peanuts and Pennies: Identifying
continued Claims in an Argument
Before Reading
My Notes 6. Collaborative Discussion: Why might some people feel that the penny should
no longer be a form of currency?

During Reading
7. In the news article that follows, the author presents both sides of the issue.
She describes reasons for keeping the penny and reasons against keeping the
penny. As you read the text, mark the reasons for (F) and reasons against (A).

News Article

Penny Problem:
Not Worth Metal It’s Made Of
by Yunji de Nies

Chunk 1
1 The saying goes, “See a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.”

2 But these days, the penny itself isn’t having much luck. Not only is there
nothing you can buy with a penny, it’s literally not worth the metal it’s made of.
3 With the rising cost of metals like copper and zinc, that one red cent is literally
putting us in the red.
4 “It costs almost 1.7 cents to make a penny,” said U.S. Mint director Ed Moy.

5 Each year, the U.S. Mint makes 8 billion pennies, at a cost of $130 million.
American taxpayers lose nearly $50 million in the process.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

6 The penny’s not alone. It costs nearly 10 cents to make a nickel.
7 On Friday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he thought the penny should
be eliminated, but he admitted that he didn’t think it was “politically doable,” and said
he was not going to push the issue.
8 Congress held a hearing last week on a proposal to make both coins out of cheaper
metals, even steel. They say it would save taxpayers more than $100 million.
9 But for now, tossing the penny altogether is not under consideration.

10 “One reason there is a lasting attachment to those coins is because they are a
part of our country’s history,” Moy said.
11 The penny has plenty of history. It was the first U.S. coin to feature a president:
Abraham Lincoln.
12 Next year, the mint plans to issue a new penny commemorating the
bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth.
13 That means more pennies for us to pocket.

168 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.3
continued

After Reading
8. If you could turn this news article into an argument like an editorial, what My Notes
position would you choose? Would you be for or against keeping the penny?
Circle one.

FOR (PRO) AGAINST (CON)

9. Collaboratively paraphrase a part of the text that matches your position.

10. Collaboratively write the claim for your editorial.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Claims Are Debatable

A claim must something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on.
If your claim is something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as fact, then
there is no reason to try to convince people.

Example of a nondebatable claim: Air pollution is bad for the environment. This
claim is not debatable. First, the word “pollution” means that something is bad
or negative in some way. Further, all studies agree that air pollution is a problem;
they simply disagree on the impact it will have or the scope of the problem. No one
could reasonably argue that air pollution is good.

Example of a debatable claim: At least twenty-five percent of the federal budget

should be spent on limiting air pollution. This claim is debatable because
reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people might think that this is how
we should spend the nation’s money. Others might feel that this amount is too
much to spend to limit air pollution. Still others could argue that corporations, not
the government, should be paying to limit air pollution.

11. Does your claim clearly state your topic and opinion? Is your claim debatable?
Share your claim with the class. Practice speaking loud enough to be heard.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 169

ACTIVITY Support the Sport? Creating Support with
3.4 Reasons and Evidence
Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Identify reasons and evidence to use as support for a position in a modified
Activating Prior Knowledge,
debate.
Predicting, Diffusing, Rereading,
Paraphrasing, Marking the Text
Reasons and Evidence
A claim should be backed up with support. A writer can support his or her viewpoint
with reasons and evidence. Reasons are the points or opinions the writer gives to
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY show why his or her claim should be accepted. In writing, each reason often acts as
Reasons are the points that the topic sentence of a paragraph.
explain why the author is making
a certain claim. Evidence is more Evidence is a more specific type of support. Several kinds of evidence, such as
specifically the facts, details, facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations, and expert opinions, can be
and information that support the used to support reasons. Sometimes people believe that their reasons should be
reasons for the claim. sufficient to win an argument, but arguments without evidence are just personal
opinions. Argumentative speakers and writers should attempt to use both reasons
and evidence to be most effective.

My Notes Before Reading

1. What do you know about the terms reasons and evidence? How would you use
reasons and evidence to convince an adult to let you go to a sports event?

2. Your teacher will share some images. Predict the controversy relating to each
image. What do the images have in common? Share any personal associations
or anything you have heard about these controversies.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

What I See What the Controversy Might Be

Image 1 Dodgeball clip or image

Image 2 Cheerleading clip or image

Image 3 Football clip or image

170 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

During Reading
3. Use different colors to mark the text for the reasons and evidence provided for My Notes
both sides of the argument.
Color 1 = reasons and evidence that support the view that dodgeball SHOULD
be banned.
Color 2 = reasons and evidence that support the view that dodgeball SHOULD
NOT be banned

Online Article

Should Dodge Ball

Be Banned in Schools ?
by Staff of TIME for Kids

1 For years, the old playground game of dodgeball has been taking a hit. Some
say it is too violent. But others say it teaches kids important skills, such as quick
decision-making.
2 School districts in states including Texas, Virginia, Maine and Massachusetts
banned the game in 2001. Neil Williams, a professor of physical education at
Eastern Connecticut State University, even created a P.E. Hall of Shame in which
dodge ball is included. “The game allows the stronger kids to pick on and target the
weaker kids,” he says.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
3 There are other objections to dodgeball. A child who is hit by a ball in the first
What are the claims of both
few seconds spends the remainder of the game sitting on a bench, watching others.
sides of this issue?
Those who do remain in the game, according to critics, become human targets,
which could lead to bullying.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

4 There are, however, those who defend the game. Rick Hanetho, founder of the
National Amateur Dodgeball Association, says the game allows kids who are not
good athletes to participate in a team sport. He also argues that it teaches hand-eye
coordination, concentration and the ability to think and draw quick conclusions.
5 What’s more, proponents of dodgeball say kids have a lot of fun, as long as
the game is properly supervised. Gym teachers and coaches must be sure that
kids follow the rules and don’t aim to hurt anyone. It also helps, say dodgeball
supporters, to use a soft, squishy ball.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 171

ACTIVITY 3.4
Support the Sport? Creating Support with
continued Reasons and Evidence
Introducing the Strategy: Rereading
My Notes Good readers often reread a text as a way to make sure it makes sense and to
find information they did not find during the first reading. Rereading a text two
or three times may be needed to fully understand a text.

After Reading
4. Use the graphic organizer to identify the components of the argument. You
will need to reread the article to find reasons and evidence that support your
assigned position.

Side A Side B

Claim: Claim:

Reason: Reason:

Evidence: Evidence:

Type of evidence: Type of evidence:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5. Brainstorm other reasons and/or evidence that might strengthen either side of
the argument.

Before Reading
6. With a partner, use the diffusing strategy to find unfamiliar words and replace
them with familiar ones. Remember, to diffuse a text:
a. Skim and scan the text and circle any unfamiliar words.
b. Use context clues to determine each word’s meaning.
c. Use other resources (dictionary, peer) to determine meaning.
d. Write a synonym or clue next to the word that will help you understand the
word as you read.

172 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

During Reading
7. With a partner, read and mark the text in two colors for the reasons and My Notes
evidence provided for both sides of the argument. Stop after each chunk to
paraphrase the text.

News Article

Most Dangerous “Sport” of

All May Be
Cheerleading
By Lisa Ling and Arash Ghadishah

1 Two years ago, Patty Phommanyvong was a healthy 17-year-old. Now she will
never walk or talk again. She was injured while cheerleading—an athletic activity
some say is now among the most dangerous for young girls.
2 Phommanyvong had never done any gymnastics before she started cheering.
After just two months, her parents say, Patty’s cheering partners were throwing her
as high as 16 feet in the air.
3 Then she suffered an accident that stopped her breathing. Her parents
claim that her school’s defibrillator1 failed and the 45 minutes she went without
oxygen left her with a brain injury that caused permanent paralysis2. Today,
Phommanyvong can only communicate by blinking.
4 One blink means yes. Twice means no. Maybe is multiple blinks.

5 Cheerleading has long been an iconic American pastime, and it is now more
popular than ever. By one estimate, 3 million young people cheer, more than 400,000 at
the high school level. And cheerleaders are no longer only on the sidelines–many cheer
competitively.
6 The degree of difficulty of cheer stunts has exploded. So too has the number of
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

accidents.
7 Cheerleading emergency room visits have increased almost sixfold over the
past three decades. There were nearly 30,000 in 2008, according to the Consumer
Product Safety Commission.
8 The numbers are all the more disturbing because some states don’t even
recognize cheerleading as a sport. That means there are no uniform safety measures
and training methods.
9 Kori Johnson is the cheerleading coach at Costa Mesa High School in Southern
California. She says the cheerleaders have had to step up the degree of difficulty
over the years.
10 “The girls, they want to be the best,” said Johnson. “They want to try harder
stunts. So every year when we see new stunts we try them.”

1 defibrillator: a device used to apply an electric current to the heart

2 paralysis: unable to move

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 173

 ACTIVITY 3.4
Support the Sport? Creating Support with
continued Reasons and Evidence
...
My Notes
Cheerleading as Competition
11 Costa Mesa High boasts a championship cheer squad.

12 Squad members say people who don’t think cheerleading is a sport should just
try it.
13 “They should be open-minded about it,” one cheerleader said. “We throw people.

14 Like our bases are lifting like people up in the air.”

15 “It’s like bench-pressing a person,” a second cheerleader said.

16 A third cheerleader said not everyone could keep up.

17 “We had the water polo boys stunt with us last year and they like, quit, after like
an hour,” she said. “They said it was really intense.”

‘It’s Scary. It’s Scary.’

18 Johnson is an experienced coach with safety training and cheer certifications.
She says the key to avoiding major injuries is teaching stunts step by step.
19 “I would never ask them to do a stunt that they’re not capable of doing and
trying,” said Johnson. “So we make sure they have all the basic stunting and it’s like
stairs. We move up the ladder.”
20 But as many parents already know, injuries are now simply a part of
cheerleading.
21 “It’s scary. It’s scary,” said Lynne Castro, the mother of a Costa Mesa
cheerleader. But Castro said cheerleading was too important to her daughter to
GRAMMAR USAGE stop even after she suffered a serious injury. “You see other sports figures that have
Regular and Irregular Verbs injuries and they just get on with it, you know. You fix it, you rehabilitate properly,
Regular verbs form the past and you move forward.”
tense and past participle by 22 But there’s no coming back from some of the injuries cheerleaders now risk.
adding -d or -ed; for example:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

An injury is deemed catastrophic if it causes permanent spinal injury and paralysis.
look, looked, have looked. There were 73 of these injuries in cheerleading, including two deaths, between 1982
Irregular verbs do not follow and 2008. In the same time period, there were only nine catastrophic injuries in
this pattern. These verbs gymnastics, four in basketball and two in soccer.
form the past tense and past
participle in different ways; ...
for example, know, knew,
23 In 2008, 20-year-old Lauren Chang died during a cheer competition in
have known.
Massachusetts when an accidental kick to the chest caused her lungs to collapse.
A number of irregular verbs
appear in this text, such as 24 “Lauren died doing what she loved, cheering and being with her friends,” said
think, throw, and make. Can Nancy Chang, her mother, soon after the accident. “We hope her death will shed
you find other examples of light on the inherent risks of cheerleading and we hope that additional safeguards
irregular verbs? It is important are taken.”
to know the forms of irregular
25 “It’s a national epidemic,” said Kimberly Archie, who started the National
verbs so that you use them
correctly. Review the forms
Cheer Safety Foundation to campaign for more safety practices in cheerleading.
of irregular verbs in the “I think we should be extremely concerned as a nation. . . . [It’s] a self-regulated
Grammar Handbook. industry that hasn’t done a good job. If I was going to give them a report card,
they’d get an F in safety.”

174 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

26 Cheerleading is big business. Uniform sales alone are a multi-million-dollar

industry. And there are thousands of cheer events all year across the nation, with My Notes
competitors from ages 3 to 23. There are cheerleading all-star teams that do not
cheer for any school but compete against one another.
27 “We don’t want the kids to be hurt. We want the kids to be safe,” said Tammy
Van Vleet, who runs the Golden State Spirit Association, which trains cheerleading
coaches and runs competitions in California. “It’s our priority to make sure
we provide that environment. . . . Since about 1999, the degree of difficulty in
cheerleading has just exploded.
28 And we’re seeing elite-level gymnasts on these cheerleading squads. And not
just one athlete on the floor but 35 at a time, and [the] acrobatics and stunts that
they are doing, you know, have not been matched.”
29 That’s why Van Vleet keeps two EMTs on site at major cheerleading exhibitions.
But there are no uniform regulations that require such safety measures.
...

‘What Is Safe?’
30 Jim Lord is executive director of the American Association of Cheerleading
Coaches and Administrators, the largest cheerleading organization in the country.
“Nightline” asked him whether cheerleading is safe.
31 “That’s a great question for any sport or athletics, is, ‘What is safe?’” Lord said.
“There’s something that says, ‘Well, these are cheerleaders so they shouldn’t be hurt,
they shouldn’t have any risks, they should be on the sidelines and they shouldn’t
be doing anything’--when a lot of girls have selected this as their favorite athletic
activity. And so I think there’s that stigma, I think that goes along with it, for some
reason.”
32 Lord says that recognizing cheerleading as a sport would not increase
safety and would only complicate managing an activity that is still not primarily
competitive for most cheer squads.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

33 “You can minimize the chance of having an injury, and what that comes down
to [is] having a coach that’s qualified,” said Lord. “There’s always going to be risk
there, our job is to minimize that risk, especially from the catastrophic type of
injury.”
34 But Archie charges that the current system of recommended safety and training
measures does not protect kids. Many cheer coaches only have to pass an open-
book test to gain a safety certification.
35 Lord believes that cheerleading is not as dangerous as the injury statistics
indicate. He says that cheerleading may look more dangerous than mainstream
sports because there’s no cheering season. Many cheerleaders practice all year,
which means extended exposure to injury.
36 Still, critics believe that until cheerleading is recognized as a sport, safety
will suffer.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 175

ACTIVITY 3.4
Support the Sport? Creating Support with
continued Reasons and Evidence
38 If change is coming, it is too late for the Phommanyvongs. They are suing their
My Notes daughter’s school, claiming that the school did not respond properly to her injury.
The school declined to comment for this story.
39 “Too far,” said Patty Phommanyvong’s father, Say Phommanyvong. “They went
too far. They should do step-by-step.”
40 “Maybe we can change,” said her mother, Vilay. “So I don’t want it to happen to
another kid.”

After Reading
8. Use the graphic organizer to analyze both sides of the issue. Reread if
necessary.

Side A Side B

Claim: Cheerleading IS a dangerous sport that needs Claim: Cheerleading IS NOT a dangerous sport
to be regulated or banned. and does NOT need to be regulated or banned.

Reason: Reason:

Evidence: Evidence:

Type of evidence:
Type of evidence:

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

9. Brainstorm other reasons and/or evidence that might strengthen either side of
the argument.

176 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

Before Reading
10. With a partner, diffuse the text to determine meanings of unfamiliar words. My Notes

During Reading
11. Continue to mark the text for the reasons and evidence provided for both sides
of the argument. Paraphrase the reasons and evidence.

News Article

High School Football:

Would a Pop Warner
Ban Limit Concussions?
by Tina Akouris

1 When Marv Levy first started playing football, “concussions” was a word he
heard about as often as “face mask.”
2 The South Side native and NFL coaching legend wore a leather helmet and
precious little padding. Those were the days when the Chicago Cardinals coexisted
with the Bears and there was a youth football program for kids 12 and under called
the Junior Bears and the Junior Cardinals.
3 As Levy matriculated through South Shore High School and Iowa’s Coe
College, the equipment and attitudes toward football’s health hazards evolved little.
4 “You would get dinged up and just shake it off,” said Levy, who coached the
Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. “We wore leather helmets with no
face guards. You were a sissy if you drank water during practice back then.”
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5 Levy is 86 years old. Pop Warner football, the self-proclaimed “largest youth
football, cheerleading and dance program in the world,” is 83.
6 But, when it comes to full-contact hitting in football practices—official
workouts begin Wednesday for the Illinois high school season—they might not be
the old-fashioned ones.
7 In June, Pop Warner instituted rule changes designed to limit players’ exposure
to concussions. The most significant change—limiting full-speed hitting to one-
third of total practice time, when in the past there were no restrictions on full-
speed hitting—was heartily endorsed by Levy.
8 “You don’t need to play tackle football until you’re 13 or 14, because you can
learn other things about the game,” Levy said. “Part of [more awareness], in my
opinion, is how players are more closely monitored and there are more medical
people around. They are more cautious. I think in youth football you shouldn’t
overdo the contact.”

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 177

 ACTIVITY 3.4
Support the Sport? Creating Support with
continued Reasons and Evidence
9 Yet, a Herald-News poll of area football coaches revealed 89 percent of
My Notes respondents had no plans to change the amount of hitting they’d allow in practice
compared with a year ago, and more than half say the contact allowed is unchanged
over the last five years.

Hyper-awareness
10 Lincoln-Way Central football coach Brett Hefner didn’t necessarily disagree
with Levy, but took a more diplomatic approach. Every kid, he said, is different.
11 “Some are ready to handle it and other kids are not,” Hefner said. “The benefits
of playing at a younger age are that they understand the game more as they get
older, how to position their bodies better when they tackle.”
12 But are there risks associated with playing at such a young age?

13 Certainly, the football world is hyper-aware of head injuries. Chronic Traumatic

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Encephalopathy, a condition brought on by repeated blows to the head, has been
Why is it important for football
linked to the suicide deaths of three former NFL players in the past 18 months:
players and other athletes to
be aware of the potential for
ex-Bears safety Dave Duerson in February 2011, ex-Falcons safety Ray Easterling in
concussions? April, and ex-Chargers linebacker Junior Seau on May 2.
14 That culture of hyper-awareness, Hefner said, has led to significant changes at
Lincoln-Way Central, including the presence of an athletic trainer at every practice,
coaches lecturing players on concussion signs, and baseline testing at the beginning
of each season for every player. Hefner said those baseline tests are used later to
determine if a player has suffered a concussion.
15 “I think 15, 20 years ago, no one wanted to say anything,” Hefner said. “We’ve
been fortunate. We did have a few players have concussions last year, but everyone
recovers differently.
16 “We have a better understanding of how serious they are.”

17 Dr. Eric Lee, of Oak Orthopedics in Frankfort, agreed with Hefner that every
child is different, and that perhaps limiting contact in practice is the way to go to
avoid more concussions.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

18 “It’s a very controversial topic and some will say that if they don’t let their child
play football, then they won’t let them ride a skateboard or ride a bike,” said Lee,
who is a volunteer physician for Lincoln-Way North, Olivet Nazarene, and the U.S.
Soccer Youth National teams. “And at the freshman level, you have some kids who
haven’t reached their physical maturity going up against those who have.”
19 Dr. Robert Cantu, co-director of Boston University’s Center for the Study of
Traumatic Encephalopathy, studied Duerson’s brain at his brain bank and wrote
a book, “Concussions and Our Kids,” due out Sept. 15. One chapter advocates
children not playing football until high school. Cantu fully supports Levy’s opinion.
20 “We also feel that children shouldn’t play (full-contact) hockey until high
school and heading should be taken out of soccer,” Cantu said. “Kids have poorer
equipment than varsity athletes and there is less medical supervision—if any—and
coaches are not well-schooled in concussion issues.”

178 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

21 Lee said he sees more high school players in the south suburbs suffering head
injuries during practice because of the competitive nature of football in this part of My Notes
the Chicago area. Lee said a lot of players are going all out during practices to win
that coveted starting spot.
22 Thus, Lee said, he believes taking a lot of hits out of practice is one step toward
reducing head trauma.
23 “The happy medium is what Pop Warner did, with limiting the practice of
contact,” Lee said. “By doing that, you remove a ton of exposure to head injuries.”
24 Indeed, Dr. Julian Bailes, the chairman of Pop Warner’s Medical Advisory
board and co-director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute, said his
organization’s recommendations can cut concussions by two-thirds.
25 “We can reduce 60 to 70 percent of head impact because that’s what occurs at
practices,” Bailes told the Sun-Times in July. “This is a first step to make it safer.”
26 At least one coach may take a step in another direction—perhaps not, for now,
with his players, but with his 6-year-old son.
28 Reavis coach Tim Zasada said it’s important to teach the correct tackling
technique at the high school level. Even though most coaches have the right idea in
terms of how to teach players to hit, there are those at the youth football level who
need to be more educated on tackling techniques.
28 And when it comes to his son, Zasada has an idea of what type of football
future he wants to implement for his child and what other parents strongly should
consider for their children.
29 “My son is 6 and is playing flag football and his friends are asking him if he
will play padded football next year,” Zasada said. “I have no idea what I will do with
my son, but flag football in my opinion is the way to go. I see kids competing and
having fun and that’s what it should be about.”

After Reading
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

12. What is your opinion on a limit to full-speed hitting in youth football? Write
your claim and reasoning in the My Notes section next to the most effective
evidence in the text that supports it. Share your response in a collaborative
group discussion.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 179

ACTIVITY 3.4
Support the Sport? Creating Support with
continued Reasons and Evidence
Debating the Issue
My Notes
Should youths be banned from participating in sports such as dodge
ball, cheerleading, and football?

13. Freewrite: Decide yes or no and write about your opinion. Be sure you have
reasons and evidence marked in the texts that can support your opinion so that
you are prepared for the debate.

Rules for Debate

For your debate, you will use a process called “Philosophical Chairs.” This process
organizes the debate and does the following:
• Helps you become aware of your own position on a topic
• Helps you practice using reasons and evidence to support your position
• Exposes you to alternative perspectives (others’ positions) on a topic

How it works:
• Sit according to your position on a topic.
• Move about the room during the discussion; this symbolizes your willingness to
adopt a different point of view, even if temporarily.
• Share reasons and evidence from the text to support what you say.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Rules of Engagement:
• Listen carefully when others speak; seek to understand their position even if
you don’t agree.
• Wait for the mediator to recognize you before you speak; only one person
speaks at a time. Speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard by the audience.
Explicitly refer to evidence from the texts as you offer new support or elaborate
on a previous point.
• If you have spoken for a side, you must wait until three other people on your
side speak before you speak again.
• If you are undecided, you may sit in the available “hot seats,” but for no longer
than 4 minutes.

No one acknowledges any move. This is not a team game.

180 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.4
continued

Self-Assessment
14. How did you do in the debate? Complete the self-assessment and set at least
one goal for improvement.

Sometimes Always Never

I explicitly referred to evidence from the texts.

I offered new support or elaborated on previous

points.

I spoke clearly, slowly, and loudly enough to be

heard by the audience.

Check Your Understanding

Complete the graphic organizer to show your final argument.

Issue: Should youths be banned from participating in sports such as dodge ball, cheerleading, and football?

Claim:

Reason 1: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

expert opinion):

Source:

Reason 2: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations,

expert opinion):

Source:

Reason 3: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations,

expert opinion):

Source:

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 181

ACTIVITY Do Your Research: Sources, Citation,
3.5 and Credibility
Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Apply my understanding of sources, citation, and credibility through discussion
Quickwrite, Graphic Organizer,
and note-taking.
Note-taking

1. Read and respond to the following quotes by Bernard M. Baruch, American

financial expert and presidential advisor (1870–1965):
“Every man has a right to his opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in
My Notes his facts.”
“If you get all the facts, your judgment can be right; if you don’t get all the
facts, it can’t be right.”

2. Quickwrite: What is the role of research in presenting an argument?

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you research (verb), you
locate reliable information from
a variety of sources. The word
research (noun) also describes
the information found from the
search.
3. Use the graphic organizer to review the research process and decide how
comfortable you are with each step.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

The Research Process Self-Assessment
Very Somewhat Not
Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable
Step 1: Identify the topic, issue, or problem.

Step 2: Form a set of questions that can be answered

through research.

Step 3: Gather evidence and refocus when necessary.

Step 4: Evaluate sources.

Step 5: Draw conclusions.

Step 6: Communicate findings.

182 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.5
continued

Sources, Citation, and Credibility

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
1. Take notes on the graphic organizer. Above each word, write what you already When you cite or provide a
know; below the word, add words or phrases as you read and discuss. citation, you are following
the practice of quoting
or referring to sources of
textual evidence. The word
cite comes from the Latin
word meaning “to set in
motion.” Cite has come to
mean “to quote or refer to.”
sources citation credibility

My Notes

Sources
A source is any place you get valid information for your research. A source can be
a document, a person, a film, a historical text, and so on. Sources are generally
classified as primary or secondary.
• Primary Source: An account or document created by someone with firsthand
knowledge or experience of an event. Letters, journal entries, blogs, eyewitness
accounts, speeches, and interviews are all primary sources.
• Secondary Source: Documents supplied and compiled by people who do
not have firsthand knowledge of an event. History textbooks, book reviews,
documentary films, websites, and most magazine and newspaper articles are
secondary sources.

2. Revisit the sources you have read in the unit. What kind of sources are they?
When might it be effective to use primary sources to support your argument?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

When might it be effective to use secondary sources to support your

argument?

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 183

 ACTIVITY 3.5
Do Your Research: Sources, Citation,
continued and Credibility
Citations
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
By citing research you avoid the It is important to provide basic bibliographic information for sources. This practice
mistake of plagiarism, which helps you give credit to information that is not your own when you communicate
is using or imitating another your findings, and thus avoid plagiarism. Basic bibliographic information includes
person’s words or ideas without author, title, source, date, and medium of publication.
giving proper credit.
The following models show a standard format for citing basic bibliographic
information for common types of sources.
• Book
My Notes Last name, First name of author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Example: Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House, Denver: MacMurray, 1999.

Print.

• Film or Video Recording (DVD)

Title of Film. Director. Distributor, Release year. Medium.

Example: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. Twentieth
Century Fox, 2006. DVD.

• Personal Interview (Conducted by Researcher)

Last Name, First Name Middle Name of Person Interviewed. Personal, E-mail or
Telephone interview. Day, Month (abbreviated), Year of Interview.

Example: Jackson, Anne. Telephone interview. 6 Dec. 2012.

• Internet Site
“Article or Specific Page Title.” Title of Website. Name of Site Sponsor (if
available), Date posted or last updated, if available. Medium of Publication.
Day, Month (abbreviated), Year Accessed.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Example: “Abraham Lincoln.” The White House. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

• Magazine or Newspaper Article

Last name, First name of author. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Day Month
Year: pages. Medium of publication.

Example: Poniewozik, James. “TV Makes a Too-Close Call.” Time 20 Nov. 2000:
70–71. Print.

184 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.5
continued

3. Suppose you are conducting research on this debatable topic: Is it ethical

to keep animals in zoos? Imagine that you have used the following sources.
Practice writing the basic bibliographic information for each.

Source Bibliographic Information

You read a book on animal treatment in zoos called
Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos,
by Elizabeth Hanson. It was published in 2002 in New
York. The publishing company is Princeton University
Press.
You used information from a webpage titled National
Geographic Explore: Classroom Magazine. The
webpage’s copyright date is 2001. The organization
that hosts the site is National Geographic. The title of
the article is “A Bear of a Job.” You visited the site on
January 20, 2013.
You conducted a phone interview with a zookeeper
named Nancy Hawkes from Woodland Park Zoo in
Seattle, Washington, on February 7, 2013.

Credibility
Any source you use must be credible. Evaluating a source’s credibility will help
you determine if you should use the information as part of your evidence when you ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
communicate your findings. You can ask the following questions to determine if a To be credible is to be
source is credible: reliable, believable, and
trustworthy. Evidence must
• Who is the author? Credible sources are written by authors respected in their
be credible in order to be
fields of study. Responsible, credible authors will cite their sources so that you
convincing. The credibility of
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

can check the accuracy of and support for what they have written. (This is also a
research information and of
good way to find more sources for your own research.) the researchers is enhanced
• How recent is the source? The choice to seek recent sources depends on when sources of evidence
your topic. While sources on the American Civil War may be decades old are properly evaluated
and still contain accurate information, sources on information technologies and cited.
or other areas that are experiencing rapid changes, need to be much more
current.

My Notes

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 185

ACTIVITY 3.5
Do Your Research: Sources, Citation,
continued and Credibility
• What is the author’s purpose? Is the author presenting a neutral, objective
My Notes view of a topic? Or is the author advocating one specific view of a topic? Who is
funding the research or writing of this source? A source written from a particular
point of view may be credible; however, you need to be careful that your
sources don’t limit your coverage of a topic to one side of a debate.

Internet Sites
Be especially careful when evaluating Internet sources! Be critical of websites
where an author cannot be determined, unless the site is associated with a
reputable institution such as a respected university, a credible media outlet, a
government program or department, or a well-known organization. Beware of
using sites like Wikipedia, which are collaboratively developed by users. Because
anyone can add or change content, the validity of information on such sites may
not meet the standards for academic research.

Some Internet sites may contain more credible information than others. A
credible Internet source is one that contains information that is well researched,
a bibliography or list of resources, and a statement of the site’s purpose.
One way to know whether a website is credible is through its domain suffix.
The domain name is the Web address, or Internet identity. The domain suffix,
typically the three letters that follow the “dot,” is the category in which that
Web site falls.

Domain Suffix Definition/Description

.com Stands for “commercial.” Web sites with this suffix are
created to make a profit from their Internet services.
Typically these Web sites sell goods or services.
.org Stands for “organization.” Primarily used by nonprofit
groups.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

.net Stands for “network.” Used by Internet service providers
or Web-hosting companies.
.edu Stands for “education.” Used by major universities or
educational organizations and institutions.
Stands for “government.” Used by local, state, and
.gov
federal government sites.

4. Which of the domain suffixes listed above would provide the most credible
information for research on whether it is ethical to keep animals in a zoo?
Why?

186 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.5
continued

5. Which suffixes might provide the least credible information? Why?

My Notes

6. Go back to the Internet source for which you recorded basic bibliographic
information. Based only on the information you are given for the website,
would you consider information from this Internet source to be credible?
Why or why not?

Check Your Understanding

Think about the controversial topic you felt strongly about at the beginning of
the unit or one you feel strongly about now. Apply what you have learned about
sources, citation, and credibility as you conduct initial research on the topic. Use
the graphic organizer as a guide.

Topic:

My current position:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Type of source: Basic bibliographic information: Is the source credible? Explain.

Interesting information/Notes:

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 187

ACTIVITY The Formality of It All:
3.6 Style and Tone
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze the purpose of formal style and tone.
Close Reading, Marking the
Text, Rereading, Graphic • Write an original text using a formal style and tone.
Organizer
Identifying Tone
1. An author of an argumentative piece uses tone as way of convincing you, the
reader or listener, to adopt his or her viewpoint (to agree with his or her claim).
Literary Terms Choose a word to describe the writer’s attitude, or tone:
Tone is the attitude that a
writer or speaker displays Tone Word Bank
toward his or her subject.
angry sad sentimental
sharp cold upset
urgent complimentary condescending
My Notes
boring poignant sympathetic
afraid happy confused
apologetic childish humorous
joyful peaceful mocking
sarcastic sweet bitter
tired shocking proud
giddy serious dramatic

Language and Writer’s Craft: Formal Style

Literary Terms Part of communicating effectively is using language that fits your audience and
Formal style is a style of purpose. Style is how an author or speaker uses words and phrases to form his or
her ideas and to show his or her attitude toward the subject (tone). Most often in

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

writing or speaking that
is appropriate for formal academic settings, you should use a formal style.
communication such as in
Decide which of the following statements use formal and which use informal style.
academics or business.
Please refrain from talking.
Please don’t talk.

Will you be attending the dance this evening?

Are you gonna go to the dance later?

You should follow the rules.

You must adhere to the guidelines.

The author of the editorial suggests discontinuing the use of plastic bags.
It says to stop using plastic bags.

What she said was totally bogus.

During the debate, the student did not provide enough evidence to support
her claim.

188 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.6
continued

Use the following list of characteristics of formal style to inform your writing.
My Notes
Formal Style
DO: DO NOT:
• Use precise nouns and pronouns • Do not use vague pronoun
(no vague pronoun references). references.
Example: The author of the Example: It says to stop using
editorial suggests discontinuing plastic bags. (Who is “it”?)
the use of plastic bags. • Do not use contractions.
• Use active verbs. Example: Please don’t talk.
Example: Please refrain from • Do not use slang words.
talking. Example: What she said was totally
• Use diction specific to the topic bogus.
and precise for the audience.
Example: During the debate, the
student did not provide enough
evidence to support her claim.

2. Why do you think formal style is important in argumentative communication?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Before Reading
4. Collaborative Discussion: When have you used formal style in writing or
speaking in your life?

During Reading
5. As you read the following letter, mark the text for precise nouns, active verbs,
and diction specific to the topic and audience.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 189

 ACTIVITY 3.6
The Formality of It All:
continued Style and Tone

My Notes ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Adams was a member of the committee appointed to draft the Declara-
tion of Independence. Along with Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, the
Declaration of Independence stands as one of the greatest of America’s
official documents. Thomas Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the
Declaration of Independence in 1776. In 1822, John Adams wrote a letter to
Timothy Pickering, a politician from Massachusetts at the time, responding
to Pickering’s questions about the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Historical Document

Excerpt from
“Letter on
Thomas Jefferson”
by John Adams

You inquire why so young a man as Mr. Jefferson was placed at the head of
the committee for preparing a Declaration of Independence? I answer: It was the
Frankfort advice, to place Virginia at the head of everything. Mr. Richard Henry
Lee might be gone to Virginia, to his sick family, for aught I know, but that was not
the reason of Mr. Jefferson’s appointment. There were three committees appointed
at the same time, one for the Declaration of Independence, another for preparing
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
articles of confederation, and another for preparing a treaty to be proposed to
What reasons does Adams
provide for why Jefferson France. Mr. Lee was chosen for the Committee of Confederation, and it was not
was appointed to write the thought convenient that the same person should be upon both. Mr. Jefferson came
Declaration of Independence? into Congress in June, 1775, and brought with him a reputation for literature,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

science, and a happy talent of composition. Writings of his were handed about,
remarkable for the peculiar felicity of expression. Though a silent member in
Congress, he was so prompt, frank, explicit, and decisive upon committees and in
conversation—not even Samuel Adams was more so—that he soon seized upon
my heart; and upon this occasion I gave him my vote, and did all in my power
to procure the votes of others. I think he had one more vote than any other, and
that placed him at the head of the committee. I had the next highest number, and
that placed me the second. The committee met, discussed the subject, and then
appointed Mr. Jefferson and me to make the draft, I suppose because we were the
two first on the list.
The subcommittee met. Jefferson proposed to me to make the draft. I said, “I
will not,” “You should do it.” “Oh! no.” “Why will you not? You ought to do it.” “I
will not.” “Why?” “Reasons enough.” “What can be your reasons?” “Reason first,
you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business.
Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much
otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.” “Well,” said
Jefferson, “if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.” “Very well. When you have
drawn it up, we will have a meeting.”

190 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.6
continued

After Reading
6. Reread the letter. Use the graphic organizer to help you analyze the tone and My Notes
style of Adams’s letter.

What is the purpose of the letter? What are some examples of Adams’s
formal style?

What is Adams’s tone? Is his tone appropriate for the audience and purpose?
Why?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding

Writing Prompt: You are trying to convince your principal to change a school
rule or policy (e.g., cell phone usage, school starting time). Work collaboratively
to write two letters to experiment with tone and formal style. For Letter 1, write a
short letter to your principal using informal style and an inappropriate tone for the
audience and purpose (refer to the “DON’Ts” list). For Letter 2, transform your first INDEPENDENT
letter to use formal style and an appropriate tone. Be sure to: READING LINK
Look for examples of formal
• State a clear claim. and informal styles used
• Support the claim with reasons and evidence. in your independent reading
book. In what context is
• Pay attention to style and tone.
each style used? Who is
• Be prepared to share both letters with your peers. the speaker? Who is the
audience? What is the
subject under discussion?
Record the examples and the
answers to these questions
in your Reader/Writer
Notebook.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 191

ACTIVITY A Graphic Is Worth a Thousand Words
3.7

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Evaluate the purpose of visual displays for communicating information.
Marking the Text
• Create a visual display to support a claim.

Reading Graphics
My Notes Graphics come in all forms. Some provide data, while others may be photos.
Every graphic tells its own story. Following these tips for reading graphics.
Tips for Reading Graphics:
• Read the title. It tells you what the graphic is about.
• Read the labels. Headings, subheadings, and numbers tell you what the graphic
is about and describe the specific information given for each category of the
graphic.
• Analyze other features. Follow arrows and lines to understand the direction
or order of events of steps. Read numbers carefully, noting how amounts or
intervals of time increase or decrease. If there is a key, pay attention to why
different colors are used.

1. Analyze the use of visual displays you are shown. What types of visuals are
used? For what purpose? Write comments in the My Notes space.

Before Reading
2. What conclusions can you draw from the following graph? What inferences can
you make about why people are choosing to read ebooks?

Ebooks Read on Goodreads

60000

50000

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

40000

30000

20000

10000

0
Jan-08
Feb-08
Mar-08
Apr-08
May-08
Jun-08
Jul-08
Aug-08
Sep-08
Oct-08
Nov-08
Dec-08
Jan-09
Feb-09
Mar-09
Apr-09
May-09
Jun-09
Jul-09
Aug-09
Sep-09
Oct-09
Nov-09
Dec-09
Jan-10
Feb-10
Mar-10
Apr-10
May-10
Jun-10
Jul-10
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11

The number of people who are reading ebooks in 2011 went up 163% over last year, and 36% up over the 4 months
prior to 2011.
Source: Goodreads.com

192 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.7
continued

During Reading
3. As you read the following text, mark the text by putting an asterisk (*) next to My Notes
any information that you think could be represented in a graphic of some type.

News Article

E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes

and
by Julie Bosman Go in Backpacks
1 Something extraordinary happened after Eliana Litos received an e-reader for a
Hanukkah gift in December.
2 “Some weeks I completely forgot about TV,” said Eliana, 11. “I went two weeks
with only watching one show, or no shows at all. I was just reading every day.”
3 Ever since the holidays, publishers have noticed that some unusual titles have
spiked in ebook sales. The “Chronicles of Narnia” series. “Hush, Hush.” The “Dork
Diaries” series.
4 At HarperCollins, for example, e-books made up 25 percent of all young-
adult sales in January, up from about 6 percent a year before—a boom in sales that
quickly got the attention of publishers there.
5 “Adult fiction is hot, hot, hot, in e-books,” said Susan Katz, the president and
publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books. “And now it seems that teen fiction is
getting to be hot, hot, hot.”
6 In their infancy e-readers were adopted by an older generation that valued the
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

devices for their convenience, portability and, in many cases, simply for their ability to
enlarge text to a more legible size. Appetite for e-book editions of best sellers and adult
genre fiction—romance, mysteries, thrillers—has seemed almost bottomless.
7 But now that e-readers are cheaper and more plentiful, they have gone mass
market, reaching consumers across age and demographic groups, and enticing
some members of the younger generation to pick them up for the first time.
8 “The kids have taken over the e-readers,” said Rita Threadgill of Harrison, N.Y.,
whose 11-year-old daughter requested a Kindle for Christmas. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Why are e-readers growing
9 In 2010 young-adult e-books made up about 6 percent of the total digital sales in popularity among teens?
for titles published by St. Martin’s Press, but so far in 2011, the number is up to Why might some parents be
20 percent, a spokeswoman for the publisher said. against them?
10 At HarperCollins Children’s Books e-book sales jumped in recent weeks for
titles like “Pretty Little Liars,” a teenage series by Sara Shepard; “I Am Number
Four,” a paranormal romance by Pittacus Lore; and “Before I Fall,” a novel by
Lauren Oliver. (Some sales, publishers noted, are from older people crossing over to
young-adult fiction.)

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 193

 ACTIVITY 3.7
A Graphic Is Worth a Thousand Words
continued

11 Jon Anderson, the publisher of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, said
My Notes some titles, like “Clockwork Angel” and books in the “Night World” series, nearly
doubled their e-book sales in the four weeks after Christmas, compared with the
four weeks before.
12 “We had an instant reaction—‘Boy, a lot of kids got e-readers for Christmas,’ ”
Mr. Anderson said, adding that another significant bump in sales occurred over the
three-day weekend that included Martin Luther King’s Birthday. “If it follows the
same trend as adults, it’s the start of an upward curve.”
13 Digital sales have typically represented only a small fraction of sales of middle-
grade and young-adult books, a phenomenon usually explained partly by the
observation that e-readers were too expensive for children and teenagers.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS 14 Another theory suggested that the members of the younger set who were first
How could information in encouraged to read by the immensely popular Harry Potter books tended to prefer
this section be turned into a hardcover over any other edition, snapping up the books on the day of their release.
graphic representation? And anecdotal evidence hinted that younger readers preferred print so that they
could exchange books with their friends.
15 That scene may be slowly replaced by tweens and teenagers clustered in groups
and reading their Nooks or Kindles together, wirelessly downloading new titles
with the push of a button, studiously comparing the battery life of the devices
and accessorizing them with Jonathan Adler and Kate Spade covers in hot pink,
tangerine and lime green.
16 “The young adults and the teenagers are now the newest people who are
beginning to experience e-readers,” said Matthew Shear, the publisher of St. Martin’s
Press. “If they get hooked, it’s great stuff for the business.”
17 It is too soon to tell if younger people who have just picked up e-readers will
stick to them in the long run, or grow bored and move on.
18 But Monica Vila, who runs the popular Web site The Online Mom and lectures
frequently to parent groups about Internet safety, said that in recent months she
had been bombarded with questions from parents about whether they should buy

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

e-readers for their children.
19 In a speech last month at a parents’ association meeting in Westchester County,
Ms. Vila asked for a show of hands to indicate how many parents had bought
e-readers for their children as holiday gifts.
20 About half the hands in the room shot up, she recalled.

21 “Kids are drawn to the devices, and there’s a definite desire by parents to move
books into this format,” Ms. Vila said. “Now you’re finding people who are saying:
‘Let’s use the platform. Let’s use it as a way for kids to learn.’ ”
22 Some teachers have been encouraging, too, telling their students that they are
allowed to bring e-readers to school for leisure reading during homeroom and
English class, for example.
23 “I didn’t buy it until I knew that the teachers in middle school were allowing
kids to read their books on their e-readers,” said Amy Mauer-Litos, Eliana’s mother,
adding, “I don’t know whether it’s the device itself that is appealing, or the easy
access to the books, but I will tell you, we’ve had a lot of snow days lately, and
9 times out of 10, she’s in the family room reading her Nook.”

194 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.7
continued

24 Some younger readers have been exploring the classics, thanks to the
availability of older ebooks that are in the public domain—and downloadable free. My Notes
25 After receiving a light gray Sony Reader from her grandparents for Christmas,
Mia Garcia, a 12-year-old from Touchet, Wash., downloaded “Little Women,” a
book she had not read before.
26 “It made me cry,” Mia said. “Then I read ‘Hunger Games,’ ” the best-selling
dystopian novel, “and it also made me cry.”
27 Her 8-year-old brother, Tommy, was given an e-reader, too. “I like it because I
have so many different books on it already,” he said, including “The Trouble Begins
at 8,” a fast-paced biography of Mark Twain written for children in the middle
grades.
28 Eryn Garcia, their mother, said the family used the local library—already
stocked with more than 3,000 e-books—to download titles free, sparing her the
usual chore of “lugging around 40 pounds of books.”
29 “There’s something I’m not sure is entirely replaceable about having a stack of KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
inviting books, just waiting for your kids to grab,” Ms. Garcia said. “But I’m an avid What are some of the
believer that you need to find what excites your child about reading. So I’m all for it.” advantages of e-readers for
kids?
After Reading
4. Write a short summary of the main ideas in this text.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

5. Collaborative Discussion: Discuss information that you marked. Revisit the

visual at the beginning of the text. What information does the graph give you
that the text does not?

Writing Prompt: Work collaboratively to write a short argument supporting the

following claim: Schools should provide all students with e-readers. As part of your
argument, create a visual display to support the claim. Be creative but purposeful.
Your argument and your visual display should help the audience better understand
how the reasons and evidence support the claim. Keep these pieces in your
Portfolio. On the next page you will find examples of types of graphics to consider
using in your display. For your written argument, be sure to:
• Provide clear reasons and evidence.
• Make a visual display that is clear and supports your argument.
• Use a formal writing style.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 195

 ACTIVITY 3.7
A Graphic Is Worth a Thousand Words
continued

Types of Graphics
My Notes • Line graphs show change in quantities over time; for example, the chart on
page 192 is a line graph.
• Bar graphs are generally used to compare quantities within categories.
• Pie graphs or circle graphs show proportions by dividing a circle into different
sections (see the example below).
• Flowcharts show a sequence or steps.
• Timelines list events in chronological order.
• Tables use columns to present information in categories that are easy to
compare.

Uses of Social Networking

Send
Upload Mail
Photos

Post
Messages IM or Chat

6. What other visual displays or multimedia components (images, music, sound)

might be helpful for your display?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

7. Present your argument and visual display to the class. Be sure to:
• State the claim clearly.
• Check that your reasons and evidence clearly support the claim.
• Explain how the visual supports the claim with reasons and evidence.
• Use a formal style and a tone appropriate for the purpose and audience.

Consider using these sentence starters when you present your explanation:
• As you can see, . . .
• The . . . shows that . . .
• The . . . represents . . .

Check Your Understanding

Why are visual displays, such as charts or graphs, helpful in trying to convince an
audience? Which of the visual displays you viewed was most effective? Why?

196 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Debate It: Organizing and ACTIVITY

Communicating an Argument 3.8

Learning Targets
• Paraphrase to explain the main ideas of an article about the pros and cons of LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Marking the Text,
social networking.
Metacognitive Markers,
• Plan my argument about social networking and present my position on the Graphic Organizer,
controversy in a debate. Debate, Paraphrasing

1. What is online social networking?

My Notes

2. Do you or someone you know use online social networking? Explain.

3. Look at the following chart. Be sure to use the tips you learned in the last lesson
about reading graphics to understand the information provided. Do you relate to
any of this data? Does anything surprise you?

How teens use social media sites

Based on teens who use social network sites or Twitter
Send instant messages or chat with a friend through the social network 88%
site
Post comments on something a friend has posted 87

Post a status update 86

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Post a photo or video 80

Send private messages to a friend within the social network site 76

Tag people in posts, photos, or videos 69

Play a game on a social network site 50

Median # of activities 6

Source: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Teen-Parent
survey, April 19–July 14, 2011. N = 799 for teens 12–17 and parents, including
oversample of minority families. Interviews were conducted in English and
Spanish.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 197

ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
Before Reading
My Notes 4. Quickwrite: What is your initial position on the following topic? Decide
whether you agree or disagree and state your reasons. If you are neutral,
also explain why.

Debatable Topic: Social networking has a negative impact on kids.

5. To research this topic, what do you want to know about the impact of social
networking on kids? Write two questions.

Question 1:

Question 2:

Introducing the Strategy: Metacognitive Markers

Using metacognitive markers involves marking the text with symbols to reflect

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

the thinking you are doing as you read. After reading, you can scan the text
and use your metacognitive markers to quickly find evidence when you are
talking or writing about a text. Here are the markers:
? Use a question mark for questions you have about the text.
! Use an exclamation point for a reaction to what you are reading.
* Use an asterisk for a comment about the text.
_ Use an underline to identify a key idea or detail in the text.

During Reading
6. Read the following articles to explore the topic of social networking and youth.
As you read, use the following metacognitive markers to engage with the text.
! for reactions (e.g., wow, surprising, I can relate, etc.)
? for questions (e.g., I wonder if, why, I am confused by, etc.)

198 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.8
continued

Article
My Notes

The Pros and Cons of

Social Networking for Teenagers:
by Kristin Stanberry

The phenomenon of social networking has taken today’s youth culture by

storm. At the same time, it has raised serious concerns among the parents of these
tech-savvy teens.
What are the benefits?
It’s not just teenagers who think social networking is cool. Researchers and KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
survey groups have found social networking provides many benefits. For example: What one benefit seems
most important? Why?
• Social networking is an extension of teens’ real-world friendships. It helps them
enrich and manage their social lives.
• Socializing online can give shy, socially awkward teens a comfortable way to
communicate—one that’s less intimidating than meeting face-to-face. This can
boost their self-esteem and help them practice their social skills.
• Teens with unusual interests or hobbies find kindred spirits online, giving them
a place to share information and enthusiasm.
• Kids who have disabilities or other challenges can communicate with other
teens with similar problems. This lessens their sense of isolation and allows for
mutual support.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

What are the risks?

Studies and surveys reveal that social networking exposes teens to certain risks.
For example:
• Online bullying and harassment by peers, also known as cyberbullying. This
may be the biggest online danger to kids. It’s often an extension of bullying that
takes place at school but can be just as damaging, if not more so.
• Online predators. While being harassed or stalked online by adult predators is far
less common than cyberbullying, any incident is one too many.
• Less face-to-face interaction with family and friends. Researchers are studying
the effect of this trend on kids’ social development, but the long-term effects aren’t
yet known.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 199

 ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
Article
My Notes

Social Networking’s
Good and Bad
Impacts on Kids
Science Daily (Aug. 6, 2011)—Social media present risks and benefits to
children but parents who try to secretly monitor their kids’ activities online are
wasting their time, according to a presentation at the 119th Annual Convention
of the American Psychological Association.
“While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social
interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see
solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives,”
said Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University,
Dominguez Hills.
In a plenary talk entitled, “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help
and Harm Our Kids,” Rosen discussed potential adverse effects, including:
• Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young
KEY IDEAS AND DETAIL
Which adverse effect seems
adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological
most significant? Why? disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies.
• Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of
all children, preteens and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety,
depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as by making them more
susceptible to future health problems.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found
that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at
least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.
Rosen said new research has also found positive influences linked to social
networking, including:
• Young adults who spend more time on Facebook are better at showing “virtual
empathy” to their online friends.
• Online social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialize
behind the safety of various screens, ranging from a two-inch smartphone to a
17-inch laptop.
• Social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage
young students.
For parents, Rosen offered guidance. “If you feel that you have to use some sort
of computer program to surreptitiously monitor your child’s social networking, you
are wasting your time. Your child will find a workaround in a matter of minutes,”
he said.

200 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.8
continued

After Reading
7. Work collaboratively to compare and contrast the main ideas of the two articles. My Notes
Use a graphic organizer similar to the one below. Write the positive effects in
the top half of each circle and the negative effects in the lower half.

Text 1: “The Pros and Cons Text 2: “Social Networking’s

of Social Networking for Good and Bad Impacts on
Teenagers: A Parent’s Guide” Kids”

Positive Positive

Negative Negative

8. Revisit your initial quickwrite response to the following prompt: Do you agree
or disagree with the statement that social networking has a negative impact
on kids? Has your position changed? Can you add any new thinking?

9. Group Discussion: Use the following protocol to discuss your ideas with your
peers.
• One participant shares.
• The other participants take turns responding directly to the person who
shared.
• The first participant responds to or builds on his/her peers’ comments
(through reflecting and paraphrasing) and has “the last word.”
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Follow the same pattern until all participants have shared. As you share and
respond to the discussion, keep these points in mind:
• Listen to each speaker’s specific argument and claims.
• Determine whether the speaker supports his or her claims with reasons and
evidence or does not clearly support claims.
• Remember to support your own argument and claim with both reasons and
clear, relevant evidence.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 201

ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
During Reading
My Notes 10. Read the following informational text to gain information to support your
position and prepare to debate with your peers. A debate is a structured
argument that examines both sides of an issue. Continue to use metacognitive
markers to engage with the text:
! for reactions (e.g., wow, surprising, I can relate, etc.)
? for questions (e.g., I wonder if, why, I am confused by, etc.)

Informational Text

Pro and Con Arguments:

“Are social networking
sites good for our society?”
Did you know?

1. Social networking and blogging sites accounted for 17% (about one in every
six minutes) of all time spent on the Internet in Aug. 2009, nearly three times
as much as in 2008.
2. Twitter was so important to the Iranian protests after the Iranian presidential
election in June 2009 that the US State Department asked Twitter to delay
a scheduled network upgrade that would have taken the website offline at a
busy time of day in Iran. Twitter complied and rescheduled the downtime to
1:30 am Tehran time.
3. On Nov. 3, 2008, the day before the US presidential election, Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama had 2,379,102 Facebook supporters
while Republican candidate John McCain had 620,359. Obama had 833,161

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

MySpace friends and McCain had 217,811. Obama had 384% more Facebook
supporters and 383% more MySpace friends than McCain.
4. Russians spend more time on social networking sites than people in any
other country, an average of 6.6 hours per month compared to the worldwide
average of 3.7 hours per month.

PRO Social Networking Sites CON Social Networking Sites

1. Social networking sites allow 1. Teens growing up with these

people to create new relationships sites may not be aware that the
and reconnect with friends and information they post is public
family. Increased communication, and that photos and text can be
even online, strengthens retrieved even after deletion.
relationships. Consequences from over-sharing
personal information include
vulnerability to sexual or financial

202 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.8
continued

PRO Social Networking Sites CON Social Networking Sites WORD

2. Social networking sites allow predators and lost job opportunities CONNECTIONS
for creative expression in a new from employers finding Roots and Affixes
medium. They provide free embarrassing photos or comments. The word predator means
messaging, blogging, photo storage, 2. Social networking sites have no “one who looks for others in
games, event invitations, and way to verify that people are who order to harm them in some
many other services to anyone way.” The word comes from
they claim to be, leaving people the Latin praedari, meaning “to
with access to a computer and the vulnerable to solicitations from rob” or to prey on someone or
Internet. online predators who are able to something.
3. Social networking sites bring mask their true identities. Even
people with common interests if the sites agree to remove sex
together, offer exposure to new offenders, they cannot identify KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
ideas from around the world, and all of them or stop them from Numbers 2 and 3 of the
lower inhibitions to overcome creating new accounts. CON side convey the idea
social anxiety. People who have that social networks allow
3. Social networking sites make users to be anonymous.
a difficulty communicating in cyberbullying, a type of bullying Why is that important to
person are more comfortable that occurs online, easier and users of these networks?
interacting via the Internet. more public than bullying through
4. 60 million Americans received other online activities such as
help with major life issues email and instant messaging. A My Notes
(changing jobs, finding a new 2009 study found that 17.3% of
place to live, buying a car, and middle school students have been
caring for someone with an victims of cyberbullying. Victims
illness) from people in their social often experience a drop in grades,
networks in 2006.These people decreased self-esteem, and other
said social networking sites helped symptoms of depression.
them connect with friends and 4. The US Marine Corps banned the
experts who assisted in their use of all social media sites on its
decisions.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

networks because the sites are “a

5. 59% of students with access to proven haven for malicious actors
the Internet report that they use and content and are particularly
social networking sites to discuss high risk due to information
educational topics including exposure, user generated content
career and college planning, and and targeting by adversaries.” The
50% use the sites to talk about entire Department of Defense
school assignments. Some parents is considering a ban on social
and teachers say that using these networking sites because of
sites helps students improve their concerns over security threats and
reading, writing, and conflict potential computer viruses.
resolution skills, learn to express 5. The use of social networking sites can
themselves more clearly, and meet cause personality and brain disorders
new and different kinds of students in children, such as the inability
from around the world. to have real conversations, limited
attention spans, a need for instant
gratification, Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 203

ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
PRO Social Networking Sites CON Social Networking Sites
My Notes
6. Social media helps low-income and self-centered personalities. The
kids become more familiar with fast pace of the sites may rewire
computers and related technology. the brain with repeated exposure
One study showed that nearly because parts of the brain used for
three quarters of children from traditional, offline activities become
poor households have profiles on underused.
MySpace or Facebook. By using 6. The hours per day of face-to-face
these websites, they have learned socializing have declined as the use
how to edit and upload photos of social media has increased. People
and videos, and have become who use these sites frequently are
experienced in using html code to prone to social isolation. Parents
personalize their profile pages. [3] spend less time with their children
7. Studies have shown that being and couples spend less time together
part of a social network has even when they live in the same
a positive impact, including house, because they are using the
increased quality of life and a Internet instead of interacting with
reduction in the risk of health each other.
problems. They help improve 7. A 2007 study found that workers
stroke recovery, memory using Facebook in the office were
retention, and overall well-being. costing Australian businesses up to
8. Social media can be a powerful $4.5 billion (US) per year. [12] A
tool for social change and an Feb. 2009 report stated that social
alternative to more traditional networking sites were costing UK
methods of communication. businesses an estimated $12.5 billion
During the protests of the (US) annually. [13] Numbers for
Iranian election in June 2009, lost revenue from lower worker
protestors used Twitter to productivity when employees use
circumvent government control social networking sites in the US are

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

over phones and the media. not available, but one study found
Twitter was so important that that two-thirds of US workers with
the US State Department asked Facebook accounts access that site
Twitter to delay a network during work hours.
upgrade that would have taken 8. A false sense of security may
the website offline at a busy time leave social networking site users
of day in Iran. Twitter complied vulnerable to security attacks
such as hacking, leaking sensitive
information, and sending viruses.
People trust messages sent through
social networking sites. However,
social networks do not scan
messages for

204 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.8
continued

PRO Social Networking Sites CON Social Networking Sites

My Notes
and rescheduled the downtime viruses or phishing scams, while
to 1:30 am Tehran time. The most email accounts do scan the
ability to remain anonymous messages for spam and viruses
helped protect people who through antivirus software.
were spreading information in 9. The public nature of online
real time. profiles creates security risks about
9. To make social networking sites which most users are unaware.
safer for children, the sites have Cybercriminals can gather
minimum age requirements and information to be used for identity
default settings based on the user’s theft from social networking
age to protect children. MySpace, profiles, such as birthdays, pet
for example, requires users to be at names, mothers’ maiden names,
least 14 years old, and the profiles names of children, and other
of all users under the age of 16 details often used in passwords
are automatically set to “private” and security questions.
so they cannot be found during a 10. Social networking sites were
general search. created to make money, not to
10. Social media sites are expanding improve peoples’ lives. These
from general interest to more websites use networks of online
specific uses that benefit society. friends to accumulate data about
For example, sites have been people for the purpose of selling
created for medical purposes advertising. The sites place cookies
such as dealing with life altering on the users’ computers, gather
diseases, alcoholism, drug information, and interests to show
addiction, weight loss, and autism. personalized ads.
Social networking sites with a
specific focus help introduce
people to others who are dealing
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

with similar issues and provide

information, contacts, peer
support, and encouragement.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 205

ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
After Reading
My Notes 11. Summarize 3–4 key ideas from the preceding text that support your position
on whether social networking is good for society.

12. Use the KWHL graphic organizer below to record information as you continue
researching the topic of social networking. After reading the texts in this
activity, what additional questions do you have? What reasons and evidence
do you need to support your position?

Claim:

K W H L
Paraphrase the ideas What further questions do Where could you find Add notes from your
that stand out to you you have? answers? What other research.
in relationship to your credible resources could
assigned side of the issue. you access?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

206 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.8
continued

Preparing to Debate
13. Consider all of the research you have done and complete the graphic organizer
to prepare for the debate. Remember, the statement you are arguing is
whether you agree or disagree that social networking has a negative impact
on kids.

Preparing an Argument

Claim:

Reason 1: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations, and

expert opinion)

Source Citation:

Reason 2: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations, and

expert opinion)

Source Citation:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Reason 3: Evidence (facts, statistics, examples, observations, quotations, and

expert opinion)

Source Citation:

Tone:

Language (words/phrases) to use to create a formal style:

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 207

ACTIVITY 3.8
Debate It: Organizing and
continued Communicating an Argument
14. After completing your research, create a visual display (e.g., a graph or chart)
My Notes that will help support your claim.

Debating the Topic

During the debate, be sure to:
• State a clear claim.
• Support your claim with reasons and evidence; when necessary, offer new
support or elaborate on a previous point.
• Maintain a formal style and appropriate tone.
• Speak clearly, slowly, and loudly enough to be heard by the audience.
• Listen to other speakers’ claims, reasons, and evidence and distinguish
between claims that are supported by credible evidence and those that are not.

Try using the following types of sentence starters when you respond to the ideas
of others:
• Even though you just said that . . . , I believe that . . .
• I agree with what you said about . . . , but I think that . . .
• You make a good point about . . . , and I would add that . . .

When you are in the outer circle, create and use a chart such as the one that
follows to take notes on the comments made by the inner circle. Be prepared to
share your observations.

Argument FOR Argument AGAINST

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

After the debate: Was your position strengthened, weakened, or changed
completely as a result of the discussion? Explain.

Check Your Understanding

Respond to the Essential Question: How do you effectively communicate in order to
convince someone? Add your response to your Portfolio.

208 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Researching and Debating EMBEDDED
a Controversy ASSESSMENT 1

Assignment
Work collaboratively to research one side of a controversy that is affecting your My Notes
school, community, or society. Then participate in a modified debate in which you
argue your position and incorporate a visual display with appropriate headings and
labels and/or multimedia for support.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for generating ideas
and research questions.
• What is your issue, who does this issue affect, and what side will you be arguing?
• How can you state your position clearly as a claim?
• What questions will guide your research?

Researching: Gather information from a variety of credible sources.

• Where can you find sources, and how can you tell that the sources are credible
and useful?
• Which strategies will you use to help you understand informational texts?
• How will you take notes by paraphrasing reasons and evidence and recording
bibliographic information?

Preparing and Creating: Plan talking points and create a visual display.
• What kind of graphic organizer could help you select the best reasons and
evidence from your research?
• How will you select talking points and create index cards for each point to
support your claim?
Technology TIP:
• How will you create a visual that will enhance your talking points?
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well you are prepared to Use a slide presentation
program such as
meet the requirements of the assignment?
PowerPoint or Prezi to
create your visual display.
Speaking and Listening: Actively participate in and observe the class debates.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• How will you be sure that you and the other speakers all have the opportunity to
voice your opinions?
• How will you use your visual display to support your argument?
• How will you complete a viewing guide to ensure active listening as an
audience member?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following:
• Did your position on the issue remain the same or change after the discussion?
Explain your position and what caused it to remain the same or change.
• What part of preparing for the debate was your strongest (e.g., researching,
organizing the argument, collaboration, creating the visual display)? Explain.
• What part of the debate was your strongest (e.g., explaining ideas, using formal
language, speaking, listening)? Explain.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 209

EMBEDDED
Researching and Debating
ASSESSMENT 1 a Controversy
SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The argument The argument The argument The argument

• shows extensive • provides sufficient • provides insufficient • provides little or
evidence of the evidence of the evidence of the no evidence of the
student’s ability to student’s ability to student’s ability to student’s use of a
gather evidence, form gather evidence, form gather evidence, form research process
questions to refocus questions to refocus questions to refocus • lacks bibliographic
inquiry, and evaluate inquiry, and evaluate inquiry, and evaluate information and/or
the credibility of a the credibility of the credibility of information that
variety of sources multiple sources multiple sources appears to have been
• avoids plagiarism by • avoids plagiarism • includes partial plagiarized.
including properly by including basic or inaccurate
cited bibliographic bibliographic bibliographic
information. information. information.

Structure The debater The debater The debater The debater

• sequences reasons • sequences reasons • uses flawed • does not support the
and evidence to and evidence to sequencing; supports claim
support a claim support a claim claim ineffectively • lacks a visual or
effectively logically • uses a weak or multimedia display
• integrates visual or • uses an appropriate unclear visual or • does not follow rules
multimedia displays visual or multimedia multimedia display for group discussion.
to enhance and display to clarify • transitions between
clarify information information talking points
• transitions smoothly • follows protocol to inconsistently;
between talking transition between contributes primarily
points; responds talking points; unrelated and/or
to others’ ideas by avoids repetition repetitive support
contributing relevant when contributing and elaboration to

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

new support and new support or the discussion.
elaboration. elaboration.

Use of The speaker The speaker The speaker The speaker

Language • uses effective eye • uses sufficient eye • uses eye contact, • uses flawed or
contact, volume, contact, volume, volume, pacing, and ineffective speaking
pacing, and clarity pacing, and clarity clarity unevenly skills
• demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates • commits frequent
command of the adequate command partial command errors in standard
conventions of of the conventions of the conventions English grammar,
standard English of standard English of standard English usage, and language
grammar, usage, and grammar, usage, and grammar, usage, and • uses an inappropriate
language language language style and/or tone.
• maintains a • maintains a generally • maintains an
consistently appropriate style and inconsistently
appropriate style and tone. appropriate style
tone. and/or tone.

210 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2: ACTIVITY

Preparing for Argumentative Writing 3.9

Learning Targets
• Analyze and summarize the skills and knowledge needed to complete LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Graphic Organizer,
Embedded Assessment 2 successfully.
Close Reading
• Explore rhetorical appeals used in argumentative writing.

Making Connections
In the first part of this unit you learned about elements essential to argumentative My Notes
writing: claims, reasons, and evidence. In this part of the unit you will expand on
your writing skills by writing an argumentative letter to persuade an audience to
agree with your position on an issue.

Essential Questions
Reflect on your increased understanding of the Essential Questions. Based on your
current understanding, how would you answer these questions now?
• Why do we have controversy in society?
• How do we communicate in order to convince others?

Developing Vocabulary
In your Reader/Writer Notebook, look at the new vocabulary you learned as you
were introduced to argumentative writing in the first half of this unit. Re-sort the
words below in the graphic organizer, once again using the QHT strategy. Notice
which words have moved from one column to another.

Academic Vocabulary Literary Terms

controversy tone
argument formal Style
claim
reasons
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

evidence
research
plagiarism
credible

Q H T

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 211

ACTIVITY 3.9
Previewing Embedded Assessment 2:
continued Preparing for Argumentative Writing
Unpacking Embedded Assessment 2
My Notes Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Argumentative Letter.

Think about a topic (subject, event, idea, or controversy) that you truly care
about and take a position on it. Write an argumentative letter to convince an
audience to support your position on the topic.

In your own words, summarize what you will need to know to complete this
assessment successfully. With your class, create a graphic organizer to represent
the skills and knowledge you will need to complete the tasks identified in the
Embedded Assessment.

Thinking About Persuasion

1. Think about times in the past when you tried to convince someone to believe
or to do something. Were you successful? Write down at least 4–5 examples of
times you tried to be persuasive and the outcome of each.

Times I Was Persuasive Outcome

2. For each successful outcome listed above, write down the reasons that you gave © 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.
that persuaded the other person. Try to list four or five examples of supporting
reasons.

212 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.9
continued

3. Which of the examples given in 2 above were appeals to the emotions of your
listener? Which were appeals to your listener’s logic—intellectual appeals? INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
To support your learning
in the second half of the
unit, you might think about
reading a book, magazine
articles, or news articles that
explore a current “hot topic”
or controversial issue.

4. With a group of classmates, discuss the examples you each recorded and My Notes
whether those examples were appeals to emotion or to logic. Based on your
examples, were emotional appeals or logical appeals more effective?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 213

ACTIVITY Looking at a Model Argumentative Letter
3.10

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Read closely to identify claim, reasons, and evidence.
Marking the Text, Brainstorming,
Webbing, Writer’s Checklist • Generate ideas and apply an organizational pattern to write an argumentative
paragraph.

Before Reading
My Notes 1. Unpack the prompt by underlining the sentence that is the “task.” What is the
prompt asking you to do? Circle the verbs and highlight the nouns.

Argumentative Prompt: Some state legislators believe that school libraries

should not provide Internet access for students. Decide whether you agree or
disagree with this position. Write a letter to convince state legislators to support
your position.

2. Scan the letter below and mark these parts of the letter: salutation, body, closing.

During Reading
3. Mark the text and take notes in the margin to identify the claim, reasoning, and
evidence provided in the letter.

Draft

Student Letter
Dear Legislator,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS We live in the 21st century and see technology all around us. Americans have access
What do you notice about the to the Internet almost everywhere, at home, on cell phones, and even at school.
formatting of this letter? For some students, school is the only access they have to the Internet. The web
also provides many more learning opportunities and prepares us students for high
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS school and the real world. Internet access for students in school libraries is crucial
Where is the commentary in for our success.
paragraph number 3? What
does it do for the paragraph?
Students need school access to the Internet because computers and the price for
Internet service can sometimes be too costly for a family. Internet service providers,
such as Quest, charge an average of fifty dollars a month. Many times teachers
assign projects that students need access to computers to complete. Internet access
in the school library is sometimes the only option for numerous pupils. If that only
option is taken away, innocent students will be penalized for not being able to fulfill
a school project.

When we get to high school, we will be getting prepared for the real-world that
is coming to us sooner than we think. In the technology filled society that we
are about to embark on, we will have to know many skills on how to best utilize
a computer and the Internet. My cousin is a good example of someone who is

214 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.10
continued

utilizing the technology skills he learned as a teenager. He is in college and takes

courses online. Taking online courses allows him to have a job and go to college at My Notes
the same time. He says he spends close to 10 hours a week studying, mostly at night
after his job. Knowing how to use the Internet is helping build a successful future.
Students spend most of their time in school around adults that are here to teach
them life skills. I believe that we can learn the most in preparation for the real world
in school!

In conclusion, the best solution is to continue allowing school libraries to provide

Internet access for students. For many, that provides the only access they have. It
not only provides gateways for better learning experiences, but also readies us for
the big journey that is ahead of us once we leave the comfort of middle and high
school. Can you even imagine what kind of struggles would come our way if state
legislators choose to terminate school Internet access?
Sincerely,
A Concerned Student

After Reading
4. Return to the letter to mark the text for formal style. Annotate the text to identify
the author’s tone.
5. With the guidance of your teacher, conduct research as needed and draft
another body paragraph as a new third paragraph. You will return to this body
paragraph to practice revision strategies and refine your writing skills. Follow
the steps below to research and draft a paragraph.

Drafting a body paragraph: Prewriting

Brainstorm evidence for the main idea (reason) of the paragraph:

Research:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• What questions will guide your research?

• Where will you gather evidence?
• What sources will you consult?

Drafting
After conducting initial research, generate an outline for the body paragraph and
then write your draft. Remember, each body paragraph should consist of:
• A topic sentence: a sentence that consists of a subject and an opinion that
works directly to support the claim (thesis)
• Transitions: words used to connect ideas (e.g., for example, for instance)
• Supporting information: specific evidence and details (What facts and details
are most appropriate? Do you accurately synthesize information from a variety
of sources?)
• Reflective commentary: sentences that explain how the information is relevant
to the claim/thesis. (Use reflective commentary to also bring a sense of closure
to the paragraph.)

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 215

ACTIVITY 3.10
Looking at a Model Argumentative Letter
continued

6. Draft your body paragraph in the space below.

My Notes

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding
Create a Writer’s Checklist based on what you already know you should “be sure
to” do to create a successful argument.

216 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Facts and Feelings: Rhetorical Appeals ACTIVITY

in Argumentative Writing 3.11

Learning Targets
• Identify logos and pathos used in an argument. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Marking the Text, Rereading,
• Explain how evidence is relevant and sufficient to support a claim. Graphic Organizer

Rhetoric and Rhetorical Appeals

Rhetoric is the art of using words to persuade in writing and speaking. Writers use
different types of rhetoric depending on their purpose and audience. My Notes
Writers of argumentative texts appeal to their audience using sound reasoning
and evidence. Writers who use logical thinking that makes sense and is backed
up with valid evidence (such as statistics, examples) are appealing to reason. This
rhetorical appeal is known as logos.
At times, writers of argumentative texts also use evidence that appeals to feelings.
When appealing to feelings, a writer uses emotional language or talks about basic
values such as kindness, justice, and responsibility. This rhetorical appeal is known
Literary Terms
as pathos. Pathos should be used sparingly in an argument since relevant evidence
Rhetorical appeals, or
is required to support a claim but an emotional appeal typically does not include
persuasive strategies,
evidence.
are used in arguments to
support claims.
Before Reading Logos is a rhetorical appeal
1. How do you think people choose issues to support? that uses logical reasoning
and evidence.
Pathos is a rhetorical
appeal to feelings.

During Reading
2. As you read the letter that follows, highlight the claim. Mark the text for specific
evidence that appeals to logic (logos, L) and to emotion (pathos, P).
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Grand Council Fire of American Indians was a Native American organization
whose members came from many different tribes. The organization worked for
better treatment of and policies for the American Indian populations. In 1927
a political campaigner (William Hale Thompson of Chicago) used a slogan of
“America First” to claim that the history taught in textbooks was biased in
favor of the British. Thompson won re-election as the mayor of Chicago, and he
then demanded that the city’s textbooks be replaced with books that focused
on the accomplishments of the ethnic groups in the United States. Members of
the Grand Council Fire of American Indians used the “America First” program
as an opportunity to describe how Native Americans also were misrepresented
in textbooks. The president of the Council, Scott H. Peters (of the Chippewa
Tribe) wrote the following letter to Chicago’s newly elected mayor asking that
the contributions and accomplishments of Native Americans also be included
in the textbooks.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 217

 ACTIVITY 3.11
Facts and Feelings: Rhetorical Appeals
continued in Argumentative Writing
Letter
My Notes

The First Americans

by Scott H. Peters, Grand Council Fire of American Indians
December 1, 1927

To the mayor of Chicago:

KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS You tell all white men “America First.” We believe in that. We are the only ones,
What is the speaker’s tone? truly, that are one hundred percent. We therefore ask you, while you are teaching
schoolchildren about America First, teach them truth about the First Americans.
We do not know if school histories are pro-British, but we do know that they
are unjust to the life of our people—the American Indian. They call all white
victories battles and all Indian victories massacres. The battle with Custer has been
taught to schoolchildren as a fearful massacre on our part. We ask that this, as
well as other incidents, be told fairly. If the Custer battle was a massacre, what was
Wounded Knee?
History books teach that Indians were murderers—is it murder to fight in self-
defense? Indians killed white men because white men took their lands, ruined their
hunting grounds, burned their forests, destroyed their buffalo. White men penned
our people on reservations, then took away the reservations. White men who rise
to protect their property are called patriots—Indians who do the same are called
murderers.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS White men call Indians treacherous—but no mention is made of broken
What is the purpose of this treaties on the part of the white man. White men say that Indians were always
speech? Who is the audience? fighting. It was only our lack of skill in white man’s warfare that led to our defeat.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

An Indian mother prayed that her boy be a great medicine man rather than a great
warrior. It is true that we had our own small battles, but in the main we were peace
loving and home loving.
White men called Indians thieves—and yet we lived in frail skin lodges and
needed no locks or iron bars. White men call Indians savages. What is civilization?
Its marks are a noble religion and philosophy, original arts, stirring music, rich
story and legend. We had these. Then we were not savages, but a civilized race.
We made blankets that were beautiful, that the white man with all his
machinery has never been able to duplicate. We made baskets that were beautiful.
We wove in beads and colored quills designs that were not just decorative motifs
but were the outward expression of our very thoughts. We made pottery—pottery
that was useful, and beautiful as well. Why not make schoolchildren acquainted
with the beautiful handicrafts in which we were skilled? Put in every school Indian
blankets, baskets, pottery.
We sang songs that carried in their melodies all the sounds of nature—the
running of waters, the sighing of winds, and the calls of the animals. Teach these to
your children that they may come to love nature as we love it.

218 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.11
continued

We had our statesmen—and their oratory1 has never been equaled. Teach
the children some of these speeches of our people, remarkable for their brilliant My Notes
oratory.
We played games—games that brought good health and sound bodies. Why
not put these in your schools? We told stories. Why not teach schoolchildren more
of the wholesome proverbs and legends of our people? Tell them how we loved all
that was beautiful. That we killed game only for food, not for fun. Indians think
white men who kill for fun are murderers.
Tell your children of the friendly acts of Indians to the white people who first
settled here. Tell them of our leaders and heroes and their deeds. Tell them of
Indians such as Black Partridge, Shabbona, and others who many times saved the
people of Chicago at great danger to themselves. Put in your history books the
Indian’s part in the World War. Tell how the Indian fought for a country of which
he was not a citizen, for a flag to which he had no claim, and for a people that have
treated him unjustly.
The Indian has long been hurt by these unfair books. We ask only that our
story be told in fairness. We do not ask you to overlook what we did, but we do ask
you to understand it. A true program of America First will give a generous place to
the culture and history of the American Indian.
We ask this, Chief, to keep sacred the memory of our people.

After Reading
3. Reread the letter. Use the graphic organizer to record examples of the writer’s
use of rhetorical appeals.

Title: The First Americans

Appeals to Reason–logos (facts, statistics, examples, observations,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

quotations, and expert opinions)

Examples:

1 oratory: skill in public speaking

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 219

 ACTIVITY 3.11
Facts and Feelings: Rhetorical Appeals
continued in Argumentative Writing
Appeals to Feelings–pathos (emotional language; mention of basic values)
My Notes
Examples:

4. Choose one piece of evidence and discuss how it is both relevant and sufficient
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY to support the claim of the letter.
In order to be convincing,
evidence must be both relevant
or closely connected to the
matter at hand, and sufficient,
or enough for the purpose of
supporting a claim or reason.

5. Revisit and reread another text you have previously read in this unit. Analyze
that text for rhetorical appeals. Then, complete the graphic organizer on the

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

next page.

220 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.11
continued

Title:
My Notes
Appeals to Reason: logos (facts, statistics, examples, observations,
quotations, and expert opinions)

Examples:

Appeals to Feelings: pathos (emotional language; mention of

basic values)

Examples:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding

Which text do you find most convincing? Explain how that author incorporated
rhetorical appeals to create the argument. Did the argument of that text use one
kind of appeal–logos or pathos–more than the other?

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 221

ACTIVITY Citing Evidence
3.12

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Record information about sources and cite them accurately.
Metacognitive Markers
• Use appositives to give specific information about sources.

1. What does it mean to “give credit” when writing an argumentative text? How
does this help writers avoid plagiarism? What does “giving credit” have to do
My Notes with logos?

Citing Sources
When using information gained from research, it is important to cite the sources of
that information to avoid plagiarism. Remember that plagiarism is using someone
else’s work without giving them credit.
For argumentative writing, citing sources also builds credibility with an audience
and adds authority to evidence.
You can incorporate research material in your writing in two ways:
• Direct quotations are word-for-word quotes from the source. The source must
be named. Direct quotations are usually short.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own
words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased
material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat
broader portion of the source and condensing it slightly.

Tips for Citing Sources

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Follow these tips for citing sources to avoid plagiarism and to improve the
organization of your writing:
• Use a statement that credits the source; e.g., “According to Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., . . . .”
• Put quotation marks around any unique words or phrases that you cannot
or do not want to change; e.g., “‘savage inequalities’ exist throughout our
educational system.”
• If you are having trouble paraphrasing, try writing your paraphrase of a text
without looking at the original, relying only on your memory and notes.
• Check your paraphrase against the original text. Correct any errors in content
accuracy, and be sure to use quotation marks to set off any exact phrases
from the original text. Check your paraphrase against sentence and paragraph
structure, as copying those is also considered plagiarism.

222 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.12
continued

Language and Writer’s Craft: Using Appositives My Notes

An appositive is a noun—and any accompanying modifiers—that is placed close to
another noun to identify it.
Example: My friend Sean is an expert on baseball.
In this sentence the appositive Sean identifies the noun “my friend.”
An appositive can be a single word, as in the example above, or a phrase.
Appositive phrases are usually set off by commas, parentheses, or dashes.
Example: Mary Southard, Director of Volunteers at the children’s hospital, reports
that over fifty new volunteers signed up this year.
This appositive phrase identifies Mary Southard as someone who has knowledge
(and credibility) of the number of new volunteers.
When you cite sources in an argument, use appositives and appositive phrases to
give more precise information about a source. This information strengthens your
appeal to logos.

2. Combine the following parts to create a sentence with an appositive phrase.

Pay attention to your punctuation.
• president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books
• Susan Katz
• explains that teen fiction is “hot” right now to people who read on e-books
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

3. Read the passage below from the last activity. Think about the main idea.
Tell your children of the friendly acts of Indians to the white people who first
settled here. Tell them of our leaders and heroes and their deeds. Tell them of
Indians such as Black Partridge, Shabbona, and others who many times saved
the people of Chicago at great danger to themselves. Put in your history books
the Indian’s part in the World War. Tell how the Indian fought for a country of
which he was not a citizen, for a flag to which he had no claim, and for a people
that have treated him unjustly.
—From The First Americans

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 223

ACTIVITY 3.12
Citing Evidence
continued

4. Now write a sentence that briefly summarizes the passage, including the
My Notes name of the author (Scott H. Peters) and an appositive phrase to give more
information about the author.

Revision Writing Prompt: Return to the body paragraph you wrote for the model
argumentative letter in Activity 3.11. Mark the text for appeals to logos you used.
Revise the paragraph as needed to add appeals to logos and strengthen your
reasons and evidence. Be sure to:
• Support your claim with valid evidence (statistics, examples, quotations).
• Cite sources from your research as needed to strengthen the logic of your
argument.
• Use at least one appositive phrase to give more precise information about
a source.

Add this writing piece to your Portfolio.

Check Your Understanding

Explain the relationship between citing sources and appealing to logos. Then,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

describe one revision you made to your letter and why you made it.

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
How does the author of your
independent reading book give
credit to his or her sources? If
you wanted more information
on one of the sources cited,
how would you know where to
look? Record your answers in
your Reader/Writer Notebook.

224 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Playing with Persuasive Diction: ACTIVITY

Appealing to Pathos 3.13

Learning Targets
• Identify and analyze examples of persuasive diction. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Skimming, Marking the
• Use persuasive diction in writing. Text, Looping

What’s in a Word?
Consider how similar words can make you feel different ways. Would you rather
be called youthful or immature? Would you rather be considered curious or nosey? My Notes
Word choice, or diction, is an important aspect of argumentative writing. Because
words can carry an emotional impact, each one represents an opportunity for the
writer to convince his or her audience.

Learning from Advertisements

1. As you skim through ads, record words that stand out for their emotional
meaning (strong connotative diction).
2. Sort the adjectives and verbs you find by adding them to the list below:

Power Adjective List:

amazing, authentic
best
convenient, critical
dependable
easy
free
guaranteed
healthy
important, improved, instant
limited, lucky
new
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powerful
secure
tested
unique, unlimited, unreal, unsurpassed
vital
wonderful

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 225

ACTIVITY 3.13
Playing with Persuasive Diction:
continued Appealing to Pathos
Power Verb List:
My Notes abolish, achieve, act, adopt, anticipate, apply, assess
boost, break, bridge, build
capture, change, choose, clarify, comprehend, create
decide, define, deliver, design, develop, discover, drive
eliminate, ensure, establish, evaluate, exploit, explore
filter, finalize, focus, foresee
gain, gather, generate, grasp
identify, improve, increase, innovate, inspire, intensify
lead, learn
manage, master, maximize, measure, mobilize, motivate
overcome
penetrate, persuade, plan, prepare, prevent
realize, reconsider, reduce, replace, resist, respond
save, simplify, solve, stop, succeed
train, transfer, transform
understand, unleash
win

Introducing the Strategy: Adding by Looping

Looping is one way to add emotional appeal (pathos) to your writing. With
looping, you underline an important sentence or a particular word or phrase.
You then write a few more sentences to add new ideas. Repeating the process
with the new sentences allows you to keep adding ideas to your writing.

3. Imagine you have drafted the following note to your family trying to convince

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

them where to go on vacation. Underline an important sentence, phrase, or
word, and then write two more sentences on the next page. Be sure to appeal to
pathos by using power adjectives and verbs in your new sentences.

Dear Family
I would like to go to Colorado for our family vacation. We could go on a
rafting trip there! I have heard that rafting is an exhilarating experience. My
friend’s family went last summer, and she described plunging down rapids and
paddling against intense currents. Going rafting together would be exciting and
would probably make our family bond even stronger.
Thank you for considering it.
Your daughter

226 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.13
continued

Your two new sentences:

My Notes
a.

b.

Check Your Understanding

Respond to the following questions about the note you just revised:
• What is the relationship between persuasive diction and appealing to pathos?
• What power adjectives and verbs did you add that were especially effective?
• If you were going to improve the practice paragraph even more, what would
you do? What do you notice it is missing? Explain.

Revision Writing Prompt: Return to the body paragraph you wrote and revised
for the model argumentative letter (Activity 3.11). Revise the paragraph for
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

persuasive diction. Be sure to:

• Mark the text for appeals to pathos you may have already used.
• Add emotional appeals that support your logical appeals and that will work well
for your audience.
• Use looping to revise by adding new ideas and persuasive diction (power verbs
and adjectives).

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Find at least five words or
phrases that carry strong
emotional meaning in your
independent reading book.
Write them in your Reader/
Writer Notebook and set
a goal to use them in your
own writing.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 227

ACTIVITY Writing an Introduction and a Conclusion
3.14

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Apply elements of argument in response to a writing prompt.
Marking the Text, Rereading
• Write effective introductions and conclusions to an argument.

Timed Writing
My Notes On a separate piece of paper, write a response to one of the prompts below or to
one your teacher provides. Consider audience and purpose as you plan your draft.
Remember to apply your knowledge of how to write a claim and support it with
relevant reasons and evidence. If possible, use a word-processing program to
create your draft and develop your keyboarding skills. If writing by hand, double-
space your draft to provide room for revision.

Argumentative Writing Prompt: Write a letter to argue for one of the following:
• Convince a family member of something you would like to do over the summer.
• Convince your principal or a teacher to change a school rule or policy.
• Convince a friend of something you would like to do together over the weekend.

1. Now that you have drafted your letter, analyze the beginning and ending of your
text. Explain how you started and ended your letter.

Introductions and Conclusions

Review the guidelines below about writing an introduction and a conclusion. Mark
the text for new or important information as you read.

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An introduction contains the following:
• A hook. Can you think of an event, a question, or a real-life story (called an
anecdote) to hook your reader?
• A connection between the hook and the claim. How does your hook relate to
your claim?
• The claim. Your viewpoint on an issue is important to you; what is it?

Introduction

Hook
Connection
Claim

228 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.14
continued

A conclusion contains the following:

• A summary of the most important reason for the argument My Notes
• A call to action restating what you want the reader to believe or do

It is important to end an argument in a convincing way. You might conclude your

argument by summarizing your most important reason. However, an especially
effective conclusion is a call to action in which you state for the last time what the
reader should believe or do. It is also interesting and effective to revisit the idea in
your hook at some point in your conclusion.

Call to
Action

Conclusion

2. Return to the sample argumentative letter in Activity 3.10 and reread its
introduction and conclusion. Mark the text for the components of an effective
introduction and conclusion. Make notes about any revisions that you would
consider to improve the beginning and ending of the letter.

Revision Writing Prompt: Return to the letter you drafted for the timed writing
in this activity and revise by looping, adding, deleting, and replacing to improve its
introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Be sure to:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Inform your audience of the purpose and introduce your claim clearly in the
introduction.
• Revise the body paragraphs to make your reasons and evidence stronger.
• Revise the ending to make sure your letter connects to the claim, reasons, and
evidence in the argument you have presented.
• Check that words are spelled correctly and that you are using correct grammar
and punctuation.

Check Your Understanding

Complete the following statements.
An introduction does . . .
An introduction does not . . .
A conclusion does . . .
A conclusion does not . . .

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 229

ACTIVITY Saying Too Much or Too Little?
3.15

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Identify and use transitions to improve the coherence of writing.
Visualizing, Rereading, Marking
the Text, Adding, Replacing, • Revise writing by using transitions, deleting, and creating complex sentences.
Deleting
Giving and Interpreting Directions
You will work in pairs to give directions and draw a picture. One person will give
directions while the other person listens and follows the directions to draw a picture.
My Notes
1. As the person giving directions, think about what you will say and the best way
to communicate what is to be drawn by your partner. Make any notes below.

2. As the person following the directions, was your drawing successful? What did
your partner say that helped you draw correctly? What additional information
would have been helpful?

Revising for Coherence

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As you learned in the preceding exercise, explaining clearly makes a difference
in how well your audience understands your meaning. In Unit 1, you learned
that coherence refers to the logical organization of an essay. A coherent essay
ties ideas together to flow smoothly from one sentence to the next and from one
paragraph to the next, making the essay easy to follow for the reader.
An effective way to revise for coherence is to use transitions both within and
between paragraphs. Transitions help you move from one sentence or thought
to another.
Certain words and phrases in the English language are typical transitions. These
transitions are outlined in the table on the next page. Read the information in the
table, and place a star (*) next to the words or phrases you used or heard in the
drawing activity.

230 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.15
continued

Transitions That . . . Transitional Signal Words and Phrases

Add ideas in addition, furthermore, moreover, further, besides, too, also, and then, then too,
again, next, secondly, equally important

Compare or contrast similarly, likewise, in comparison, in a like manner, however, in contrast,

conversely, on the other hand, but, nevertheless, and yet, even so, still

Show examples for example, for instance

Reinforce an idea indeed, in fact, as a matter of fact, to be sure, of course, in any event,
by all means

Indicate results as a result, as a consequence, consequently, therefore, thus, hence, accordingly

Express a sequence first, second, soon after, then, previously, meanwhile, in the meantime, later, at
of ideas length, after a while, immediately, next

Show proximity here, nearby, at this spot, near at hand, in this area, on the opposite side, across
from, not far from

Conclude finally, in short, in other words, to sum up, in conclusion, in the end

3. Return to the student sample argumentative text in Activity 3.10 and read it for
organization and coherence. Mark the text for transitional words and phrases. My Notes
Make notes about any revisions that you think would improve coherence.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Revision Writing Prompt: Return to the letter you drafted and revised for the
timed writing prompt in Activity 3.14. Revise to improve its coherence. Be sure to:
• Use adding or replacing to incorporate transitional words and phrases.
• Use words and/or phrases to clarify the relationships between your ideas,
specifically your claims, reasons, and evidence.
• Read your revised piece to a peer for feedback on its coherence.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 231

ACTIVITY 3.15
Does it Make Sense, or Did I Say
continued Too Much?

My Notes Introducing the Strategy: Deleting

When you revise by deleting, you identify irrelevant, repetitive, or
meaningless words and remove them from your writing. When you delete a
word, phrase, or sentence, reread the section aloud to make sure that it still
makes sense after your deletion. Deleting sentences or parts of sentences can
improve overall coherence in your writing.

Revising by Deleting
4. Revise the paragraph below. Identify words and sentences that are irrelevant,
repetitive, or meaningless, and delete them by drawing a line through them.
Then write your new paragraph in the space below.

My family and I had a great time on our fun rafting trip. We went to Colorado.
Colorado is called the “Rocky Mountain State.” The rafting was really very
exciting and scary. The weather was a little cold, so we all got sick on our
way home.

5. Why did you delete the words and/or sentences you did?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

6. Return to the student sample argumentative letter from Activity 3.10. Reread it
to see if any part is irrelevant, repetitive, or meaningless. Make notes about any
sentences that you would consider deleting and why.

232 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 3.15
continued

Revision Writing Prompt: Return to the letter you revised for the timed writing in
Activity 3.14. Read it for coherence and for possible sentences or ideas to delete. My Notes
Be sure to:
• Read for coherence to help you decide whether deleting (or adding) ideas would
improve the flow of the letter.
• Identify and remove irrelevant, repetitive, or meaningless ideas.
• Check your letter for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Select a part of your letter that you revised by deleting. Read the “before” and
“after” versions to a peer to get feedback.

Language and Writer’s Craft: Revising by Creating

Complex Sentences
Sentence variety is another important aspect of good writing. Varying the
types of sentences you use helps keep your audience interested. One way to
create sentence variety is by revising to create complex sentences.
A complex sentence shows a close relationship between two ideas. It is made up of
a dependent clause and an independent clause.
• A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. For example, because I
feel strongly about this subject is a dependent clause.
• An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. For example, I have
decided to write a letter to share my thoughts stands alone as a complete
thought.
• A complex sentence combines a dependent and an independent clause. For
example, Because I feel strongly about this subject, I have decided to write a
letter to share my thoughts.

Dependent clauses are easy to identify because they almost always start with a
“dependent marker” such as those in the list below.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

after as though in order that unless

although because provided that whereas

as if before since while

Check Your Understanding

Explain three ways you can revise your writing to improve its coherence.

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 233

ACTIVITY Preparing to Write an Argument
3.16

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Reflect on personal argumentative writing skills.
Graphic Organizer,
Paraphrasing • Assess strengths and weaknesses and plan how to address them in future writing.

1. Use the graphic organizer to help you reflect on what you have learned about
argumentative writing and revising—and how you will use your knowledge to
complete Embedded Assessment 2.

Argumentative Letter Reflection and Planning

Scoring Criteria Reflection Planning

Paraphrase the specific evaluation Self-assess by describing an area of How can you use this information to
criteria from the Scoring Guide. strength and an area of weakness help you write your argumentative
for you. letter? What do you plan to do? Be
specific.

Ideas Strength:

Weakness:

Structure Strength:

Weakness:

Use of Language Strength:

(including conventions)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Weakness:

My Notes 2. In order of importance, write the three areas you most need help with.

234 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Writing an Argumentative Letter EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2

Assignment
Think about a topic (subject, event, idea, or controversy) that you truly care about My Notes
and take a position on it. Write an argumentative letter to convince an audience to
support your position on the topic.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for generating ideas and
research questions.
• What is a relevant topic that you care about and can take a position on?
• How can you use a prewriting strategy such as prewriting or webbing to explore
your ideas?
• What questions will guide your research?

Researching: Gather information from a variety of credible sources.

• Where can you find sources, and how can you tell that the sources are credible
and useful?
• Which strategies will you use to help you understand informational texts?
• How will you take notes by paraphrasing reasons and evidence and recording
bibliographic information?

Drafting: Write an argumentative letter that is appropriate for your task,

purpose, and audience.
• How will you select the best reasons and evidence from your research?
• Who is the audience for your letter, and what would be an appropriate tone and Technology TIP:
style for this audience?
Use a word processing
program to help you format
Evaluating and Revising the Draft: Create opportunities to review and your letter correctly and
revise your work. to make it easy to make
• During the process of writing, when can you pause to share with and respond corrections for preparing a
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to others? publishable draft.

• What is your plan to add suggestions and revision ideas into your draft?
• How can you revise your draft to improve your diction and syntax?
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well your draft meets the
requirements of the assignment?

Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm that your final draft is ready
for publication.
• How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following:
• What were the strongest elements of your argument?
• How did you use emotional appeals to connect with your audience?

Unit 3 • Changing Perspectives 235

EMBEDDED
Writing an Argumentative Letter
ASSESSMENT 2

SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The letter The letter The letter The letter

• supports a claim • supports a claim • has an unclear or • has no obvious claim
with compelling with sufficient unfocused claim or provides minimal
reasons, evidence, reasons, evidence, and/or insufficient or inaccurate support
and commentary, and commentary, support such as • lacks citations and/or
including relevant including adequate unrelated, weak, or appears plagiarized.
facts, details, quotes, facts, details, quotes, inadequate facts,
paraphrases, and paraphrases, and details, quotes,
rhetorical appeals rhetorical appeals paraphrases, and
(pathos, logos) (pathos, logos) rhetorical appeals
• avoids plagiarism by • avoids plagiarism (pathos, logos)
including proper and by including basic • includes partial or
thorough citations. citations. inaccurate citations.

Structure The letter The letter The letter The letter

• follows an effective • follows a logical • follows a flawed • has little or no
organizational organizational or uneven organizational
structure, including structure, including organizational structure
an engaging an introduction structure; may have • uses few or no
introduction and a with a hook and a weak introduction transitional
thoughtful conclusion a conclusion that and/or conclusion strategies.
• uses a variety of follows from the • uses basic
effective transitional argument presented transitional strategies
strategies to create • uses transitional ineffectively or
coherence. strategies to clarify inconsistently.
and link ideas.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Use of The letter The letter The letter The letter
Language • uses persuasive and • uses some • uses basic or weak • uses confusing or
connotative diction persuasive and/or diction vague diction
• demonstrates connotative diction • demonstrates • lacks command of
command of the • demonstrates partial command the conventions of
conventions of adequate command of the conventions standard English
standard English of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
capitalization, of standard English capitalization, punctuation, spelling,
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and usage;
grammar, and usage punctuation, spelling, grammar, and usage frequent errors
• maintains an grammar, and usage • maintains an obscure meaning
engaging and • maintains an inconsistently • has an inappropriate
appropriate style appropriate style appropriate style style and/or tone.
and tone. and tone. and/or tone.

236 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 UNIT

The Final Act

Visual Prompt: Who is this man? What clues do you see in how he is dressed? Predict how this
image might relate to this last unit of study.

Unit Overview
Unit 4 introduces and gives you the
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

opportunity to find out more about William

Shakespeare, his society, and his language.
The unit also extends your presentation
skills and prepares you to collaborate with
your classmates to perform scenes from one
of Shakespeare’s comedies, The Taming of
the Shrew.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 237

UNIT The Final Act
4

GOALS: Contents
• To analyze and understand
Activities
the relationships among
setting, characterization, 4.1 Previewing the Unit ................................................................ 240
conflict, and plot
• To research a drama from a 4.2 Shakespeare in School .............................................................241
different time period Article: “Shakespeare dumbed down in comic
• To rehearse and present an strips for bored pupils,” by Laura Clark
engaging performance of a
drama 4.3 Shakespeare and His Society .................................................. 244
• To revise for effective Informational Text: “Shakespeare’s Life,” The British Library
sentence variety
4.4 Researching to Deepen Understanding ....................................249
4.5 Planning to Present Research ..................................................251
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 4.6 Understanding Shakespeare’s Language .................................252
collaborate Essay: Excerpt from “Reading Shakespeare’s Language,”
source
plagiarism by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine (editors)
multimedia
Embedded Assessment 1: Researching and Presenting Shakespeare ..260
bibliography
evaluate 4.7 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 and Preparing for a
synthesize
annotate Performance .............................................................................262
4.8 Play Ball: Analyzing a Game of Life ......................................... 264
Short Story: “The Southpaw,” by Judith Viorst
Literary Terms 4.9 Drama Games: Connecting the Mind and Body ........................270
rhythm
iambic pentameter Introducing the Strategy: Drama Games
iamb
tableau
4.10 Lear’s Limericks: Playing with Rhythm and Rhyme ................ 273

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

limerick Poetry: Limericks from A Book of Nonsense,
rhyme scheme by Edward Lear
oral interpretation
Introducing the Strategy: Oral Interpretation
inflection
rate 4.11 Planning and Presenting a Reader’s Theater............................276
drama
free verse
Drama: “The Millionaire Miser,” by Aaron Shepard
alliteration 4.12 A Poetic Performance ............................................................. 284
Poetry: “Oranges,” by Gary Soto
Poetry: “Jabberwocky,” by Lewis Carroll
Poetry: “Fireflies,” by Paul Fleischman
Introducing the Strategy: Choral Reading

238 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Language and Writer’s
4.13 Previewing the Play ................................................................. 290 Craft
• Choosing Sentence
4.14 Guided Reading of The Taming of the Shrew .......................... 294 Structure (4.3)
Drama: Excerpts from The Taming of the Shrew, • Pronoun Usage (4.9)
by William Shakespeare
*Film: The Taming of the Shrew, directed
by Franco Zeffirelli, 1967
4.15 One Text, Two Perspectives .................................................... 300
*Film: The Taming of the Shrew, directed
by Franco Zeffirelli, 1967
Embedded Assessment 2: Performing Shakespeare ........................ 301

*Texts are not included in these materials.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 239

ACTIVITY Previewing the Unit
4.1

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Preview the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit.
Think- Pair-Share, QHT, Close
Reading, Marking the Text, • Identify and analyze the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded
Paraphrasing, Graphic Organizer Assessment 1 successfully.

Making Connections
So far this year, you have read poetry, short stories and other narratives, news
My Notes articles and informational texts, and historical letters. In this unit, you will
encounter another historical text: scenes from one of William Shakespeare’s
comedies. In the first part of the unit, you will learn about Shakespeare and why
his writing is still alive after more than 400 years. In the last part of the unit, you
will study and perform a Shakespearean scene.

Essential Questions
Based on your current knowledge, how would you answer these questions?
1. How can research shape one’s understanding of a literary text?
2. How is reading a text similar to and different from viewing and performing
a text?

Developing Vocabulary
Use a QHT chart to sort the Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms from the
Contents page into the columns Q, H, and T. Remember that Q means you have
questions about the meaning of the word because it is unfamiliar; H means you
have heard of the word, so it is familiar; and T means you can teach the word to
your classmates because you know it so well. One academic goal is to move all
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY words to the “T” column by the end of the unit.
When you collaborate or
work collaboratively, you
work together. When working Unpacking Embedded Assessment 1
together, all members must Read the assignment and Scoring Guide for Embedded Assessment 1.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

share responsibility to have an Work collaboratively to conduct research, synthesize findings, and present
effective collaboration. a topic relating to Shakespeare and his play The Taming of the Shrew. Your
presentation should be five minutes in length, and speaking parts should be
divided equally. If possible, incorporate multimedia elements, including video
and sound, into your presentation.
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
This unit focuses on dramas With your class, paraphrase the expectations from the Scoring Guide and create a
(plays). To identify an graphic organizer to use as a visual reminder of the required concepts (what you
independent reading title need to know) and skills (what you need to do). After each activity, use this graphic
for this unit, gather several to guide reflection about what you have learned and what you still need to learn in
examples of plays that look order to be successful on the Embedded Assessment.
interesting to you. Preview
each text, and then decide
which you want to read. Create
a reading plan for the text you
have chosen, including when
and where you will read and
how often.

240 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Shakespeare in School ACTIVITY
4.2

Learning Target
• Create and support an argument about teaching Shakespeare in school. LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Brainstorming, Diffusing,
Marking the Text, Debating
Before Reading
1. What do you know about William Shakespeare and what he wrote?

My Notes

2. Many would agree that it is important for students to experience Shakespeare,

but there is disagreement on the best way to teach Shakespeare. Should
teachers expect students to read Shakespeare’s plays in their original versions?
Brainstorm reasons to support each side of the controversy:

Pro: Teachers should expect Con: Teachers should not expect

students to read original versions of students to read original versions of
Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare’s plays.
Reason 1: Reason 1:

Reason 2: Reason 2:

During Reading
3. Work with your class to diffuse the text. As you read, mark the text using two
different colors to indicate support for the pro and con sides of the controversy.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Article

Shakespeare dumbed down

in comic strips for bored pupils
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
by Laura Clark What is the meaning of
“dumbed down” as used in
this sentence?
Shakespeare’s plays are being rewritten as comic strips for pupils who find his
How could reading
poetry boring, it emerged today. “dumbed down” texts
Thousands of teenagers are to study cartoon versions of famous plays such as have a negative impact on
students?
Macbeth, which reduce finely-crafted passages to snappy phrases.
The publishers hope the comics—illustrated by artists who have worked on the
Spiderman series—will inspire disaffected readers with a love of the Bard’s plays.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 241

 ACTIVITY 4.2
Shakespeare in School
continued

But the Queen’s English Society warned that “dumbed down” versions could
My Notes backfire by allowing pupils to avoid tackling the language and themes of the originals.
The firm behind the initiative, Classical Comics, will launch its first comic book
plays next term.
They are targeted at older primary pupils and teenagers and have already won
the backing of the National Association for the Teaching of English.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Three versions of each play will be produced to help teachers cater to children
How is the original text
different from the quick text? of differing literacy abilities.
The first uses Shakespeare’s own words, the second translates them into plain
English, and the third is a “quick text” version and uses as few words as possible.
The firm hopes to print 10,000 copies of each version of its first comic play, Henry V.
Macbeth should be ready next year and there are also plans in the pipeline for
Romeo and Juliet, as well as classic novels including Jane Eyre and Great Expectations.
The firm hopes eventually to publish comic strip versions of all Shakespeare’s plays.
Dr. Bernard Lamb, chairman of the London branch of the Queen’s English
Society, said: “Pupils may just enjoy the cartoons and not connect it with
Shakespeare and they won’t be much of a contribution to education.
“I am sure they are already well-versed in cartoon characters and comic strips,
so it would be good for them to get away from that and study something a bit more
serious.
“A lot of the beauty of Shakespeare is in the language more than the plot.
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS Dr. Lamb added: “There is so much dumbing down all round. Students are
According to Dr. Bernard unaware of what language is appropriate in different circumstances. I have had
Lamb, why is it not a good students in degree exams using ‘eight’ for ‘ate’.”
idea to use cartoons/comics
But Clive Bryant, chairman of Classical Comics, insisted the shortened versions

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to teach Shakespeare?
of his plays would give youngster a “leg up” to enjoying the originals.
“We want to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spiderman” he
told the Times Educational Supplement.
“Teachers tell us they are desperate for something exciting to use in the
classroom, but if you ask kids about Shakespeare the word they usually come back
with is ‘boring’.
“We’re trying to break down the barriers so they can get interested.”
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
According to Ian McNeilly, how Ian McNeilly, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English,
can a simplified, illustrated said: “This is a fun way of getting into the stories.
version of a play support
readers? “Plays are not meant to be read, but to be seen. The illustrations in these books
are an easy way of following what is going on.
“The genius of Shakespeare is in the language, but for some students
understanding it can be a struggle. It will be useful for teachers to have three
different versions of the text.”
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk, August 7, 2007

242 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.2
continued

After Reading
4. Use the frame below to write and support a claim for your side of the My Notes
controversy.

“Teachers [should/should not] expect students to read original versions of

Shakespeare’s plays because [paraphrase two reasons from the text and
provide one based on personal experience].

• Reason 1:

• Reason 2:

• Reason 3:

5. Participate in a class debate. Be sure to:

• Express ideas clearly, using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and
clear pronunciation.
• Use evidence from the text and from personal experience to support your
argument.
• Listen to other speakers and evaluate their claims and evidence.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding

As you listened to your classmates present their claims in the argument and
present evidence, which speakers provided relevant evidence to support their
claims and which did not? How did you decide which claims were supported by
relevant evidence and which were not?

Unit 4 • The Final Act 243

ACTIVITY Shakespeare and His Society
4.3

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES • Analyze information about Shakespeare and his society.
Shared Reading, Diffusing,
Paraphrasing, Summarizing, • Write basic bibliographic information about sources.
Note-taking, Brainstorming, • Use varied sentence structure in writing.
Drafting
1. What makes the following group of research questions effective?
• Who was Shakespeare? What did he accomplish? When did he live? Where
did he live? Why is he still known today?
My Notes • What was society like when Shakespeare was writing The Taming of the
Shrew?

2. What makes a research source credible (trustworthy)?

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you refer to a source in
research, you are referring to a
place from which information
comes or is obtained. Sources
must be evaluated and cited to
During Reading
avoid plagiarism. 3. As you read the information text on the next page, take notes using a graphic
organizer like the one below. In the left column, paraphrase, summarize, and
quote information that answers your research questions. In the middle column,
categorize or classify the information as it relates to Shakespeare’s life, his
society, his plays, or his impact. In the right column, form additional research
questions of interest to you.

Categories of Information

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Information (paraphrased,
(Shakespeare’s life , society, New Research Questions
summarized, or quoted)
plays, or impact)
1

244 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.3
continued

Informational Text
My Notes

Shakespeare’s Life
from The British Library

The Key Dates

1564 Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1594 Joins Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Titus Andronicus, first quarto, published.
1599 Globe playhouse built.
1603 Death of Elizabeth I. Accession of James I.
1613 Shakespeare’s writing career over.
1616 Shakespeare dies in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1623 Publication of the First Folio.
1642 Civil War closes the theatres.
1660 Theatres reopen with restoration of Charles II.
1769 Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1780 Garrick’s library arrives in British Museum.
1828 George III’s library arrives in British Museum.
1858 Quartos purchased from Halliwell-Phillipps.
2003 93 British Library Shakespeare quartos digitised.
2009 Digital Shakespeare quarto editions completed (107 quartos in total).

Who was William Shakespeare?

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in 1564. Very
little is known about his life, but by 1592 he was in London working as an actor
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

and a dramatist. Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays
and collaborated on several more. Many of these plays were very successful both at
court and in the public playhouses. In 1613, Shakespeare retired from the theatre
and returned to Stratford-upon-Avon. He died and was buried there in 1616.

What did he write? GRAMMAR USAGE

Shakespeare wrote plays and poems. His plays were comedies, histories and Subordinating Conjunctions
tragedies. His 17 comedies include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and
A subordinating conjunction
The Merry Wives of Windsor. Among his 10 history plays are Henry V and introduces a dependent
Richard III. The most famous among his 10 tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, and King clause. Many transition
Lear. Shakespeare’s best-known poems are The Sonnets, first published in 1609. words are subordinating
conjunctions, such as
What are the quartos? because, although, while,
Shakespeare’s plays began to be printed in 1594, probably with his tragedy Titus since, and if. Find additional
examples of subordinating
Andronicus. This appeared as a small, cheap pamphlet called a quarto because of the
conjunctions and study
way it was printed. Eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays had appeared in quarto editions how the writer uses them to
by the time of his death in 1616. Another three plays were printed in quarto before transition from one idea to
1642. In 1623 an expensive folio volume of 36 plays by Shakespeare was printed, another.
which included most of those printed in quarto.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 245

ACTIVITY 4.3
Shakespeare and His Society
continued

Why are the quartos important?

My Notes None of Shakespeare’s manuscripts survives, so the printed texts of his plays
are our only source for what he originally wrote. The quarto editions are the texts
closest to Shakespeare’s time. Some are thought to preserve either his working
drafts (his foul papers) or his fair copies. Others are thought to record versions
remembered by actors who performed the plays, providing information about
staging practices in Shakespeare’s day.

Shakespeare in Print
By the time Shakespeare began creating his plays, the London book trade was
well established and growing steadily. Printing was regulated by the ecclesiastical
authorities and the Stationers’ Company, although the regulations were not always
enforced. The printers, booksellers, and publishers who ran London’s book trade
were almost all stationers.
Printed plays formed a very small part of the book trade. Relatively few plays got
into print. They did not sell in large numbers, and were not particularly profitable. The
companies of players were not necessarily reluctant to have their plays printed, but the
uncertainty of profits may well have deterred publishers. The dramatists themselves were
unlikely to make money from the printing of their plays. There was no law of copyright
to protect their interests. Once a manuscript play had been sold to a publisher, and he
had paid for its approval and licensing for printing, he had sole rights over the work.
Several of Shakespeare’s plays, including Richard II and Richard III, were
popular enough to be printed in several editions. From 1598, with Love’s Labour’s
Lost, his name began to be added to their title-pages as a selling point. Scholars
have long held that Shakespeare had no interest in the printing of his plays, but this
is now being challenged.

Shakespeare’s Theatre
Shakespeare began his career not long after the first public playhouses were

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

established in London. His earliest plays were given at the Theatre, an open-air
playhouse in Shoreditch. Many of his plays were written for the Globe, rebuilt from
the timbers of the Theatre on Bankside. A number of Shakespeare’s later plays were
created for the very different surroundings of the indoor playhouse at Blackfriars.
Shakespeare, a player as well as a dramatist, belonged to a company of players. His
company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (from 1603 the King’s Men) competed with
others, notably the Admiral’s Men, for audiences. Like most leading players, Shakespeare
was a sharer in his company and was able to enjoy its profits. He also had to suffer its
losses—for example, when the first Globe burnt down in 1613. His plays were created
with his company’s players in mind. Such players as the tragedian Richard Burbage and
clowns like William Kemp influenced the roles within Shakespeare’s plays.
Shakespeare’s theatre came to an end in 1642. In that year, on the eve of the
Civil War, all the playhouses were closed by order of Parliament. Those which were
still structurally sound were either converted into dwellings, or demolished so that
their timbers could be reused elsewhere. The players could no longer perform their
plays in public.
Source: The British Library (http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare), accessed May 16, 2013.

246 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.3
continued

After Reading ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

4. Look at the source of the informational text. Why do you think this source When you present
is credible? information in a multimedia
format, you use several
media (e.g., print, film,
audio, and video) to
communicate ideas. Creating
5. Brainstorm how you could use multimedia to clarify ideas and add interest to a a bibliography, which is
presentation of this information (e.g., graphics, images, music/sound). a list of source materials
used to prepare a research
paper or presentation,
is an important part of a
researcher’s responsibility.
6. Writers create a bibliography to give full credit to the sources from which
they take information. Record basic bibliographic information for the text you
read in Activity 4.2 and in this activity. Note that online information may not
have a publication date, in which case use the date on which you accessed the
information from the Internet. CONNECTIONS
Word Origins
Source 1: The word cite comes from the
Latin word meaning “to set
in motion.” Cite has come to
Author:
mean “to quote or refer to.”

Title:

My Notes
Source:

Date of Publication:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Source 2:

Author:

Title:

Source:

Date of Publication:

Unit 4 • The Final Act 247

ACTIVITY 4.3
Shakespeare and His Society
continued

My Notes Language and Writer’s Craft: Choosing Sentence Structure

You may have learned already about simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Writers use a variety of sentence types to keep the reader’s interest and to convey
ideas most effectively.
Following is a review of the types of sentences you have learned about. As you
write—and as you review and revise your writing—choose the type of sentence
that is most appropriate for the ideas you want to communicate. Remember to use
a variety of well-structured sentences.

Sentence Type Definition Example

Simple A simple sentence has Dogs howled.

one independent clause (a The neighborhood dogs
subject-verb combination). howled nervously.
Compound A compound sentence The neighborhood dogs
contains two independent howled nervously, but the
clauses joined by a cat slept undisturbed in the
semicolon or by and, or, nor, house.
for, but, or yet and a comma.
Complex A complex sentence contains While the fireworks
an independent clause and rocketed into the air, the
a dependent clause (often neighborhood dogs howled
signaled by a marker such nervously.
as because, while, although,
unless, until, etc.).

Check Your Understanding

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Expository Writing Prompt: Explain what you learned about Shakespeare
through research. Remember to use transitional words and phrases, and a variety
of types of sentences to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts in an
informative/explanatory text. Be sure to:
• Establish a controlling idea.
• Organize information by classifying or categorizing the information
with headings.
• Provide relevant information and examples.
• Use academic vocabulary and/or literary terms to maintain a consistent
and formal style and tone.
• Revise to improve transitions and to add variety in sentence types.

248 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Researching to Deepen ACTIVITY

Understanding 4.4

Learning Targets
• Use the research process to gather additional information about Shakespeare LEARNING STRATEGIES
Brainstorming, Collaborative
and his society.
Discussion, Diffusing, Marking
• Collaboratively write an explanation of information gained from research. the Text, Paraphrasing,
Summarizing, Note-taking,
Conducting Research Drafting
1. Use your notes from the previous activity to help you brainstorm ideas for research.

Topics to Research:
My Notes

2. Select a research topic and work collaboratively in your expert groups to

develop thoughtful questions to guide your research.

Research Questions:
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

3. Identify potential sources (print and/or online).

• Which sources are best for your topic?
• Where can you find them?

4. Determine the credibility and usefulness of each source.

• Can you trust the source of information? Why or why not?
• How does the source address your research question(s)?

5. Use reading strategies to make meaning of the informational texts.

• Which strategies work best for you when you read informational texts?
• What will you do if you do not understand the reading?

6. Take notes using a double-entry journal. In the left column, paraphrase,

summarize, and quote information that answers your research questions.
In the right column, form a response to the information (statements and/or
questions). Think about the following:
• When should you paraphrase or summarize?
• When should you directly quote?
• What makes an effective response?

Unit 4 • The Final Act 249

ACTIVITY 4.4
Researching to Deepen
continued Understanding
7. Print, copy, and/or record multimedia sources to clarify ideas and add interest
My Notes to your presentation (e.g., graphics, images, music/sound).
• Where can you find effective multimedia sources?
• How will the selected multimedia sources support your audience’s
understanding of key information about your topic?

8. Record basic bibliographic information for each of your sources (author, title,
source, date of publication, type: print or online) on note cards or in your
Reader/Writer Notebook.

Source #:

Author:

Title:

Source:

Date of Publication:

Type (print or online):

9. Continue to research until you thoroughly answer your research questions.

• Have you learned enough about your topic to create a presentation and
communicate your ideas to an audience?
• Do you feel confident answering questions about your topic?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Check Your Understanding
Expository Writing Prompt: Explain what you have learned about Shakespeare
through research. Be sure to:
• Establish a controlling idea.
• Provide relevant information and examples.
• Use academic vocabulary and/or literary terms to maintain a consistent and
formal style and tone.
• Revise as needed to improve the organization of ideas and to add transitions
and/or to use a variety of sentence types.

250 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Planning to Present Research ACTIVITY
4.5

Learning Targets
• Synthesize research about Shakespeare and his society. LEARNING STRATEGIES
Collaborative Discussion,
• Create a multimedia presentation on Shakespeare and his society. Note-taking, Mapping

1. Present your information in your jigsaw group, and listen to comprehend while
others present. Use your written response from the previous activity to guide
your presentation about your topic.
CONNECTIONS
When you are the speaker: Roots and Affixes
• Come to the discussion prepared. The word collaborate contains
• Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. the Latin root -labor-, meaning
• Form and respond to specific questions relating to the topic under discussion. “work” and the prefix co- or
col- meaning “together” or
“with.” The prefix co- occurs in
When you are the listener: coexist, cooperate, collect.
• Understand ideas: Take notes and ask questions for clarification after each
speaker presents.
• Explore ideas: Challenge your group to think about the topic on a deeper
level. ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you evaluate,
• Evaluate the strength of ideas: Provide constructive feedback and offer
you examine and judge
suggestions to strengthen ideas when necessary.
carefully in order to
determine the value of
Check Your Understanding something, such as an idea,
Work collaboratively in your jigsaw group to synthesize information by putting a comment, or a source.
different pieces of your research together to form a coherent whole. Use the When you synthesize, you
questions below to guide the process: combine separate elements
into a single, coherent,
• What conclusion(s) can you draw about Shakespeare and his society? complex whole.
• How can you organize and sequence (order) your information to make your
conclusions clear to others (e.g., use headings and transitions). Use the
mapping strategy to show your thinking.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• How can you use multimedia and/or visual displays to clarify ideas and My Notes
add interest?

Unit 4 • The Final Act 251

ACTIVITY Understanding Shakespeare’s
4.6 Language
Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES • Explain unique aspects of Shakespeare’s language (orally and in writing).
Summarizing, Collaborative
Discussion, Chunking, Diffusing,
Marking the Text, Note-taking, Before Reading
Drafting 1. What do you know about the language of Shakespeare’s plays? How will
learning to understand this language be a challenge to you?

My Notes

During Reading
2. Read the following essay to answer the research question: What is unique and
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY challenging about Shakespeare’s language? Be sure to annotate and highlight
When you annotate (verb) or places in the text where you are introduced to new words. Make notes about
make annotations (noun), you these words in the My Notes space.
are writing notes to explain or
present ideas that help you and
others understand a text. About the Authors
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger
Shakespeare Library, Executive Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the
Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances
and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and on the editing of the plays.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at Kings’s University College at The
University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is general editor of the New
Variorum Shakespeare and author of many papers and articles on the
printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Essay

“Reading Shakespeare’s Language”

The Taming of the Shrew
by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine (editors)

1 For many people today, reading Shakespeare’s language can be a problem–but

it is a problem that can be solved. [It requires] developing the skills of untangling
unusual sentence structures and of recognizing and understanding poetic
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
compressions [combining], omissions [cutting], and wordplay. And even those
Notice how this text
skilled in reading unusual sentence structures may have occasional trouble with
classifies the information
about Shakespeare’s use of
Shakespeare’s words. Four hundred years have passed between his speaking and our
language into two categories: hearing. Most of his immense vocabulary is still in use, but a few of his words are
diction and syntax, or not, and, worse, some of his words now have meanings quite different from those
sentence structure. As you they had in the sixteenth century. When reading on one’s own, one must do what
continue this activity, notice each actor does: go over the lines (often with a dictionary close at hand) until the
the other classifications. puzzles are solved and the lines yield up their poetry and the characters speak in
words and phrases that are, suddenly, rewarding and wonderfully memorable.

252 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.6
continued

Shakespeare’s Words
2 Some words are strange not because of the changes in language over the past My Notes
centuries but because these are words that Shakespeare is using to build a dramatic
world that has its own space and time. In the opening scenes of the main body of
the play, the setting in Italy and the story’s focus on wooing are created through
repeated [local references and phrases].
3 The most problematic words are those that we still use but that we use with a
different meaning. The word heavy has the meaning of “distressing,” brave where we
would say “splendid,” idle where we would say “silly,” and curst where we would say
“bad-tempered.” Such words will be explained in the notes to the text, but they, too,
will become familiar as you continue to read Shakespeare’s language.
Shakespearean Wordplay
4 Shakespeare plays with language so often and so variously that entire books are
written on the topic. Here we will mention only two kinds of wordplay, puns and
metaphors. A pun is a play on words that sound the same but that have different
meanings. The first scene between Kate and Petruchio (2.1.190–293) is built
around a whole series of puns, beginning with puns on the name Kate. In all of
Shakespeare’s plays, one must stay alert to the sounds of words and to the possibility Literary Terms
of double meanings. In The Taming of the Shrew, many scenes are funny only if we Rhythm is the pattern of
hear the puns. stressed and unstressed
5 A metaphor is a play on words in which one object or idea is expressed as if it syllables in spoken
were something else, something with which it shares common features. The Taming or written language,
especially in poetry.
of the Shrew is not rich in metaphoric language, but metaphor is used in a powerful
and significant way.
Shakespeare’s Sentences and Syntax
6 In an English sentence, meaning is quite dependent on the place given each
word. “The dog bit the boy” and “The boy bit the dog” mean very different things,
even though the individual words are the same. [Therefore,] unusual arrangements
of words can puzzle a reader. Shakespeare frequently shifts his sentences away from
“normal” English arrangements–often to create the rhythm he seeks, sometimes Literary Terms
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to use a line’s poetic rhythm to emphasize a particular word, sometimes to give Iambic pentameter is
a character his or her own speech patterns or to allow the character to speak in a the most common meter
special way. (rhythm) in English verse
7 In reading for yourself, do as the actor does. That is, when you become puzzled
(poetry). It consists of a
line ten syllables long that
by a character’s speech, check to see if words are being presented in an unusual
is accented (stressed) on
sequence. Look first for the placement of the subject and the verb. Shakespeare
every second beat.
often places the verb before the subject (e.g., instead of “He goes,” we find “Goes
An iamb consists of two
he”). More problematic is Shakespeare’s frequent placing of the object before syllables (an unstressed
the subject and verb. “For how I firmly am resolved you know” (1.1.49), where followed by a stressed).
the normal sentence order would be: “For you know how I am firmly resolved.”) Think of an iamb as a
Inversions (words in reversed order) serve primarily to create the poetic rhythm of heartbeat: ker-THUMP.
the lines, called iambic pentameter. Each line written in iambic
8 Often in his sentences words that would normally appear together are pentameter contains five
separated from each other. (Again, this is often done to create a particular rhythm heartbeats.
or to stress a particular word.)

Unit 4 • The Final Act 253

ACTIVITY 4.6
Understanding Shakespeare’s
continued Language
Implied Stage Action
My Notes 9 Finally, in reading Shakespeare’s plays you should always remember that what
you are reading is a performance script. The dialogue is written to be spoken by
actors who, at the same time, are moving, gesturing, picking up objects, weeping,
shaking their fists. Some stage action is described in what are called “stage
directions”; some is suggested within the dialogue itself. Learn to be alert to such
signals as you stage the play in your imagination.
[Conclusion]
10 It is immensely rewarding to work carefully with Shakespeare’s language so
that the words, the sentences, the wordplay, and the implied stage action all become
clear—as readers for the past [five] centuries have discovered. The joy of being
able to stage one of Shakespeare’s plays in one’s imagination, to return to passages
that continue to yield further meanings (or further questions) the more one reads
them—these are pleasures that certainly make it worth considerable effort to “break
the code” of Elizabethan poetic drama and let free the remarkable language that
makes up a Shakespeare text.

After Reading
3. Summarize the key information by answering each of the following questions:
• What did you learn about Shakespeare’s diction (word choice)?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• What did you learn about Shakespeare’s syntax (sentence structures)?

• What did you learn about implied stage action?

254 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.6
continued

Analyzing Shakespeare’s Language

4. Following are types of figurative language and words that are rhetorical devices. My Notes
Your teacher will assign a word to you. Create and present a Word Wall card for
your assigned poetic or rhetorical device to guide analysis of Shakespeare’s
language. You may need to consult references to find examples or create your
own original examples.

Language Type Definition

Types of Figurative Imaginative language that is not meant to be
Language interpreted literally
Hyperbole extreme exaggeration used for emphasis, often used
for comic effect
Simile a comparison between two unlike things using the
word like or as (X is like Y).
Metaphor a comparison between two unlike things in which one
thing is said to be another (X = Y)
Personification a kind of metaphor that gives objects or abstract
ideas human characteristics
Pun the humorous use of a word or words to suggest
another word with the same sound but a different
meaning
Types of Rhetorical A rhetorical device is a use of language that is
Devices intended to have an effect on its audience.
Rhetorical Question a question asked to emphasize a point or create an
effect; no answer is expected
Parallel Structure using the same pattern of words (words, phrases,
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

or clauses) to show that two or more ideas have the

same level of importance
Repetition key words or phrases that are repeated for emphasis
or effect

Sample Word Wall card:

an exaggeration for effect (Definition)

I could sleep for days. (Example 1)

I can’t live without you. (Example 2)
You are breaking my heart. (Example 3)
Hyperbole

Unit 4 • The Final Act 255

ACTIVITY 4.6
Understanding Shakespeare’s
continued Language
5. Following are quotations from some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Work
collaboratively in your expert group to analyze your assigned quotes. Diffuse
the text when necessary, and mark the text to indicate specific examples of
Shakespeare’s use of diction, syntax, and rhetorical devices.

Model Analysis

“The King’s name is a tower of strength.” metaphor; just saying the King’s name creates a sense
of strength

“Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of metaphor; he is naturally kind hearted
human kindness.”

Group 1

Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:”

Hamlet: “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” (Act

III, Scene II)

Hamlet: “When sorrows come, they come not single

spies, but in battalions.” (Act IV, Scene V)

As You Like It: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men
and women merely players. They have their exits and
their entrances; And one man in his time plays many
parts.” (Act II, Scene VII)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

The Taming of the Shrew: “Out of the jaws of death.”
(Act III, Scene IV)

256 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.6
continued

Group 2

Romeo and Juliet: “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”
(Act II, Scene II)

Romeo and Juliet: “It seems she hangs upon the cheek
of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.” (Act I,
Scene V)

Romeo and Juliet: “See, how she leans her cheek upon
her hand!
O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch
that cheek!” (Act II, Scene II)

The Merchant of Venice: “But love is blind, and lovers

cannot see.”

Measure for Measure: “Our doubts are traitors, and

make us lose the good
We oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” (Act I, Scene IV)

Group 3

King Henry IV, Part II: “He hath eaten me out of house
and home.” (Act II, Scene I)

Richard III: “Now is the winter of our discontent / Made

glorious summer by this sun of York;”
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Julius Caesar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me

your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
(Act III, Scene II)

Julius Caesar: “A dish fit for the gods.” (Act II, Scene I)

Julius Caesar: “Cowards die many times before their

deaths; / “The valiant never taste of death but once.”
(Act II, Scene II)

Unit 4 • The Final Act 257

ACTIVITY 4.6
Understanding Shakespeare’s
continued Language
Group 4

All quotes from Macbeth:

“There’s daggers in men’s smiles.” (Act II, Scene III)

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little

hand.” (Act V, Scene I)

“When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and
won.” (Act I, Scene I)

“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown

me.” (Act I, Scene III)

“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under

‘t.” (Act I, Scene V)

Group 5

Macbeth: “Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more . . .” (Act V, Scene V)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

King Lear: “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child!” (Act I, Scene IV)

Othello: “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve . . .”

(Act I, Scene I)

Twelfth Night: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are

born great,
Some achieve greatness and some have greatness
Thrust upon them.” (Act II, Scene V)

Titus Andronicus: “These words are razors to my

wounded heart.” (Act I, Scene I)

258 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.6
continued

6. Present your analysis in your jigsaw group. Listen to comprehend and take
notes while others present. My Notes

When you are the speaker:

• Come to the discussion prepared.
• Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Form and respond to specific questions relating to the topic under discussion.

When you are the listener:

• Understand ideas by taking notes and asking questions for clarification after
each speaker presents.
• Explore ideas by challenging your group to think about the topic on a
deeper level.

Check Your Understanding

Expository Writing Prompt: Explain what you learned about Shakespeare’s use
of language. Describe the different uses of language you discovered. Be sure to:
• Establish a controlling idea.
• Provide relevant information and examples.
• Use academic vocabulary and/or literary terms in your writing to maintain a
consistent and formal style and tone.
• Include transitions and a variety of sentence types.

Revise as needed to add transitions and replace simple sentences with a variety of
sentence types.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 259

EMBEDDED Researching and Presenting
ASSESSMENT 1 Shakespeare
Assignment
My Notes Work collaboratively to conduct research, synthesize findings, and present a topic
relating to Shakespeare and his play The Taming of the Shrew. Your presentation should
be five minutes in length, and speaking parts should be divided equally. If possible,
incorporate multimedia elements, including video and sound, into your presentation.

Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for generating ideas
and research questions.
• How will you select a topic related to Shakespeare and the comedy The Taming
of the Shrew?
• What questions will guide your research?
• How will you ensure that each group member is researching a different aspect
of your topic?

Researching: Gather information from a variety of relevant sources.

• Where can you find sources, and how can you tell that the sources are relevant
and useful?
• How will you take notes by paraphrasing information and recording
bibliographic information?
• How will you use research to gather visuals and other multimedia?

Preparing and Creating: Organize talking points and create a multimedia

presentation.
• What strategy will you use to organize information?
• How will you be sure that ideas are presented clearly with an introduction,
transitions, and a conclusion?
• How will you integrate multimedia and visuals to clarify and add interest?

Evaluating and Rehearsing: Create opportunities to review and rehearse

your presentations.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• When can you present to a group of your peers to get feedback and suggestions
for improvement?
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well prepared you are to
meet the requirements of the assignment?

Speaking and Listening: Participate effectively as both a presenter and

audience member.
• How will you use volume, eye contact, and pronunciation to engage your audience?
• How will you take notes during the other students’ presentations?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following questions:

Technology TIP: • What did you learn about Shakespeare and his times that will help you
understand the play The Taming of the Shrew?
Use a presentation tool such as • Which of the class presentations were the most engaging, and why?
PowerPoint or Prezi to organize
the multimedia and visual
aspects of your presentation.

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 EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 1

SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria
Ideas The presentation The presentation The presentation The presentation
• supports a clearly • supports a main • has an unclear, • does not include a
focused main idea with sufficient unfocused, or main idea or shows
idea with relevant descriptions, insufficiently little or no evidence
descriptions, facts, and details supported main idea; of research
facts, and details synthesized from may rely too heavily • lacks a bibliography
synthesized from a multiple sources on a single source for or works cited page.
variety of sources • includes a information
• includes a correct bibliography or • includes a partial
and complete works cited page that or inaccurate
bibliography or works follows a standard bibliography or works
cited page. format. cited page.

Structure The presentation The presentation The presentation The presentation

• demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates a
strong evidence of adequate evidence of uneven or ineffective failure to collaborate
collaboration collaboration collaboration • has little or no
• sequences ideas • sequences ideas • uses flawed discernable structure
effectively, including logically, including sequencing; may • lacks multimedia
an engaging an introduction, lack one or more support.
introduction, clear headings, transitions, of the following:
headings, smooth and a concluding an introduction,
transitions, and a section/statement headings, transitions,
logical conclusion • uses multimedia to and a concluding
• integrates a variety clarify ideas and add section/statement
of multimedia to interest. • uses multimedia
enhance ideas. ineffectively.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Use of The presenter The presenter The presenter The presenter

Language • uses effective eye • uses appropriate eye • uses eye contact, • uses flawed or
contact, volume, contact, volume, and volume, and ineffective speaking
pacing, and clarity pronunciation pronunciation skills
• demonstrates • demonstrates unevenly • makes frequent
command of the adequate command • demonstrates errors in standard
conventions of of the conventions partial command English grammar,
standard English of standard English of the conventions usage, and language
grammar, usage, and grammar, usage, and of standard English • uses an inappropriate
language, including a language, including a grammar, usage, and style and/or tone.
variety of syntax variety of syntax language; uses little
• maintains a • maintains a generally variety of syntax
consistently formal formal style and tone, • maintains an
style and tone, including the use inconsistently formal
including the of some academic style and/or tone
consistent use of vocabulary or literary and uses limited
academic vocabulary terms. academic vocabulary
and literary terms. or literary terms.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 261

ACTIVITY Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
4.7 and Preparing for a Performance
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES • Identify the knowledge and skills needed to complete Embedded Assessment 2
QHT, Close Reading,
successfully.
Paraphrasing, Graphic
Organizer • Preview and practice the skills needed for a class performance.

Making Connections
In the first part of this unit you learned how to do research, and you presented
My Notes your research on a topic related to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
In the second part of the unit, you will learn how to perform a scene from a
literary work.

Essential Questions
Reflect on your understanding of the first Essential Question: How can research
shape one’s understanding of a literary text? How would you answer that question
at this point in the unit?

Developing Vocabulary
1. Re-sort the following Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms using the
QHT strategy.

Academic Vocabulary Literary Terms

multimedia rhythm
bibliography iamb
synthesize iambic pentameter

Q (unfamiliar) H (familiar) T (very familiar)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

2. Compare this sort with your original sort. How many words have changed
category? How many have stayed the same?

3. Select a word from the chart and write a concise statement about your learning.
How has your understanding of the word changed over the course of this unit?

262 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.7
continued

Unpacking Embedded Assessment 2

Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 2: Performing Shakespeare. My Notes
Work collaboratively to prepare and present a Reader’s Theater performance of
a scene from Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. Your performance
should have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Work with your class to paraphrase the expectations and create a graphic organizer
to use as a visual reminder of the required concepts (what you need to know) and
skills (what you need to do). Copy the graphic organizer for future reference. After
each activity, use this graphic to guide reflection about what you have learned
and what you still need to learn in order to be successful on the Embedded
Assessment.

4. Quickwrite: How has your understanding of Shakespeare changed since the

beginning of this unit?

Performance Practice
5. Choose a poem that you like or that your teacher suggests. Read the poem
several times to yourself and then read it aloud to your classmates. Reflect on
the experience by answering the following questions:
• What was enjoyable about reading the poem?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• What was difficult about reading the poem? How might you work to improve
in this area for the next performance?

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
To support your learning in
the second half of the unit,
identify another play that
looks interesting to you.
You might choose a play by
William Shakespeare as a
way to become familiar with
Shakespeare’s work and
language.
Create a reading plan for the
text you have chosen.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 263

ACTIVITY Play Ball: Analyzing a Game of Life
4.8

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Explain the theme of a short story in a written response.
Previewing, Predicting, Marking
the Text, Summarizing, • Practice oral reading for fluency, tone, and inflection.
Collaborative Discussion,
Close Reading, Rereading, Before Reading
Brainstorming, Drafting
1. Quickwrite: Can you think of a time when you argued or disagreed with a friend?
How did you resolve your differences?

My Notes

2. What do you notice about the structure of “The Southpaw,” by Judith Viorst?
How might this structure affect the plot?

During Reading
3. As you read “The Southpaw” in pairs, mark the text by highlighting connotative
diction (words that suggest meaning or emotion). These words will help you to
understand the conflict.
4. After reading the story with a partner, summarize the conflict. What does each
character want? Why is each character upset? How does each character attempt
to get what he or she wants?

Literacy Center Reading

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

After first reading the text in pairs, you will next participate in the following Literacy
Center activity. For this activity, you will analyze the story and participate in
collaborative work and discussion.

First Base: Use precise adjectives to describe tone.

You might say that the two characters in “The Southpaw” express a mad or
angry tone in the first half of the story, but these words are not precise. Reread
your assigned letters (see below) and discuss each letter’s tone with your group
members. Using classroom resources such as a thesaurus, tone list, and Word
Wall, brainstorm a list of synonyms for the identified tone and order them from
least intense to most intense. Then, agree upon and record a precise adjective in
the My Notes section next to each assigned letter. Leave your brainstorming notes
for other groups to use as a resource.
Group 1: Letters 1–4
Group 2: Letters 13–18
Group 3: Letters 9–12
Group 4: Letters 5–8
Note: Groups 1, 3, and 4 should first review the previous responses and revise to
identify a more accurate or precise tone.

264 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.8
continued

Second Base: Use adverbs to communicate tone.

Adverbs can also describe a character’s tone. Next to each character’s name in GRAMMAR USAGE
your assigned letters, record a verb and precise adverb that capture the writer’s Adjectives and Predicate
emotions. For example, a character could state proudly, demand angrily, or explain Adjectives
regretfully. Use classroom resources such as a dictionary, adverb list, or Word Wall An adjective describes a noun
to expand your options. or a pronoun and answers the
Group 1: Letters 5–8 question what kind, which
Group 2: Letters 1–4 one, how many, or how much.
Group 3: Letters 13–18 Predicate adjectives are
Group 4: Letters 9–12 adjectives that follow the
verb to be or linking verbs, as
in the sentences below:
Third Base: Summarize the point of view.
The bear is furry.
Reread your assigned letters (see below). In the My Notes section, concisely
The girl seems lonely.
summarize each set of notes by explaining each character’s point of view and
The water looks calm.
how it is created.
Group 1: Letters 9–12
Group 2: Letters 5–8
Group 3: Letters 1–4
Group 4: Letters 13–18
Note: Groups 2, 3, and 4 should first review the previous responses and revise if
they can write a more accurate or concise summary.

Home Base: Make a connection between conflict and plot.

Think of the exhange of letters in the story as a baseball scoreboard. The first two
letters between Janet and Richard are Inning 1, letters 3 and 4 are Inning 2, and so on.
For each pair of assigned letters, decide who “wins” the argument. Write a “1” in
his or her box and a “0” in the other character’s box. Explain your thinking in the
My Notes section, and discuss the connection between conflict and plot.

Inning 1 Inning 2 Inning 3 Inning 4 Inning 5 Inning 6 Inning 7 Inning 8 Inning 9

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

(1–2) (3–4) (5–6) (7–8) (9–10) (11–12) (13–14) (15–16) (17–18)

Janet

Richard

Group 1: Letters 13–18 Group 3: Letters 5–8

Group 2: Letters 9–12 Group 4: Letters 1–4 GRAMMAR USAGE
Adverbs
An adverb answers the
question how or in what way.
The suffix -ly may be added to
adjectives to form adverbs.
Note how the following
adjectives become adverbs:
proud + ly = proudly
angry + ly = angrily
regretful + ly = regretfully

Unit 4 • The Final Act 265

 ACTIVITY 4.8
Play Ball: Analyzing a Game of Life
continued

Short Story
My Notes

by Judith Viorst

Inning 1
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS Dear Richard,
What is the point of view Don’t invite me to your birthday party because I’m not coming. And give back the
of this story?
Disneyland sweatshirt I said you could wear. If I’m not good enough to play on
your team, I’m not good enough to be friends with.
Your former friend,
Janet
P.S. I hope when you go to the dentist he finds 20 cavities.
Dear Janet,
Here is your stupid Disneyland sweatshirt, if that’s how you’re going to be. I want
my comic books now—finished or not. No girl has ever played on the Mapes Street
baseball team, and as long as I’m captain, no girl ever will.
Your former friend,
Richard
P.S. I hope when you go for your checkup you need a tetanus shot.

Inning 2

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Dear Richard,
I’m changing my goldfish’s name from Richard to Stanley. Don’t count on my vote
for class president next year. Just because I’m a member of the ballet club doesn’t
mean I’m not a terrific ballplayer.
Your former friend,
Janet
P.S. I see you lost your first game 28–0.
Dear Janet,
I’m not saving any more seats for you on the bus. For all I care you can stand the
whole way to school. Why don’t you just forget about baseball and learn something
nice like knitting?
Your former friend,
Richard
P.S. Wait until Wednesday.

266 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.8
continued

Inning 3
Dear Richard, My Notes
My father said I could call someone to go with us for a ride and hot-fudge sundaes.
In case you didn’t notice, I didn’t call you.
Your former friend,
Janet
P.S. I see you lost your second game, 34–0.
Dear Janet,
Remember when I took the laces out of my blue-and-white sneakers and gave them
to you? I want them back.
Your former friend,
Richard
P.S. Wait until Friday.

Inning 4
Dear Richard,
Congratulations on your unbroken record. Eight straight losses, wow! I understand
you’re the laughing stock of New Jersey.
Your former friend,
Janet
P.S. Why don’t you and your team forget about baseball and learn something nice
like knitting maybe?
Dear Janet,
Here’s the silver horseback riding trophy that you gave me. I don’t think I want to
keep it anymore.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Your former friend,

Richard
P.S. I didn’t think you’d be the kind who’d kick a man when he’s down.

Inning 5
Dear Richard,
I wasn’t kicking exactly. I was kicking back.
Your former friend,
Janet
P.S. In case you were wondering, my batting average is .345.
Dear Janet,
Alfie is having his tonsils out tomorrow. We might be able to let you catch next week.
Richard

Unit 4 • The Final Act 267

 ACTIVITY 4.8
Play Ball: Analyzing a Game of Life
continued

Inning 6
My Notes Dear Richard,
I pitch.
Janet
Dear Janet,
Joel is moving to Kansas and Danny sprained his wrist. How about a permanent
place in the outfield?
Richard

Inning 7
Dear Richard,
I pitch.
Janet
Dear Janet,
Ronnie caught the chicken pox and Leo broke his toe and Elwood has these stupid
violin lessons. I’ll give you first base, and that’s my final offer.
Richard

Inning 8
Dear Richard,
Susan Reilly plays first base, Marilyn Jackson catches, Ethel Kahn plays center field,
I pitch. It’s a package deal.
Janet
P.S. Sorry about your 12-game losing streak.
Dear Janet,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Please! Not Marilyn Jackson.
Richard
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
How does the tone of the story Inning 9
change as it unfolds? How
does it change with each set Dear Richard,
of letters? Nobody ever said that I was unreasonable. How about Lizzie Martindale instead?
Janet
Dear Janet,
At least could you call your goldfish Richard again?
Your friend,
Richard

268 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.8
continued

After Reading
6. It should now be clear that writers of literary texts purposefully use structure My Notes
and language to develop a story. Describe how this story unfolds and how the
two characters change as they resolve their conflict. How does the tone change
with each set of letters?

Check Your Understanding

Expository Writing Prompt: Think about the characters, conflict, and plot.
Explain the theme of the story, and identify the details that show the theme. Be
sure to:
• Establish a central idea.
• Support the central idea with textual evidence from the story (relating to
characters, conflict, and/or plot) and thoughtful analysis.
• Use precise diction (e.g., specific literary terms) to create a formal tone.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 269

ACTIVITY Drama Games: Connecting the Mind
4.9 and Body
Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Collaborate and perform a series of drama games to explore how tone, facial
Drama Games, Rehearsal,
expressions, eye contact, and other elements contribute to the overall success
Brainstorming, Role Playing
of a performance.

Introducing the Strategy: Drama Games

WORD
Games can be a fun way to learn. Drama games are a form of role playing.
CONNECTIONS
Performing a role helps you make meaning of a text and understand it
Roots and Affixes from the viewpoint of both a reader and a performer. Drama games require
Pantomime contains the Greek imagination, teamwork, and rehearsal. They also require a sharing of ideas to
roots -mime-, meaning “mimic,” help make a text come alive in a visual way.
and “pan,” meaning “all” or
“entirely.” These roots appear
in the English words panacea, Game 1: Accept-Change-Pass
pandemic, mimic, and mimetic. 1. Stand up and form a circle of four to five students.
2. The student whose birthday is closest to today’s date becomes the first actor.
He or she should hold up an imaginary box and pull out an imaginary object.
3. After setting the box down, the actor should pretend to use the object without
My Notes
speaking or making a sound. Each person in the group should have a chance to
try to identify the object.
4. Once someone correctly identifies the object, the actor should place the object
back in the box, pick the box up, and pass it to his or her left.
5. Repeat the process until all group members have had a chance to play the
actor’s role.

Game 2: Shadowing
Literary Terms 1. Stand up, form pairs, and label yourselves “Y” and “Z.”
A tableau is a purposeful 2. After your teacher calls out an action, the “Y” students should begin to silently
arrangement of characters pantomime the action while the “Z” students copy them. Students “Y” and “Z”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

frozen as if in a painting or a should look like reflections in a mirror.
photograph. The arrangement 3. At the signal, switch roles. This time the “Z” students should choose their own
should convey information actions to pantomime as the “Y” students copy their actions.
about the characters and their
relationships.
Game 3: The Cycle of Life
1. Stand up and form a circle of four to five students.
2. Plan a tableau and then brainstorm ways to role-play the five stages of humans:
infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Use sounds—but no
words—and imaginative props to enhance your performance.
3. After planning and rehearsing, return to your seat.
4. When it is your group’s turn, form a tableau of ages, mixing up the order. Freeze
for a count of ten and then come to life, one by one, with sounds and props.
After you perform your role, the class will guess which age you represent.

270 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.9
continued

Game 4: The Tone Game

In order to effectively deliver lines in a drama, you must accurately express My Notes
your character’s tone of voice. As you know, delivery rate, inflection, and facial
expressions help to communicate tone. Because this is such a key part of a
performance, it is important to practice speaking with different tones to get
feedback from an audience.
1. When it is your turn, select a line and one of the five tones below. Do your best
to deliver the line effectively to others in your group. They should be able to
identify the tone right away. Remember that facial expressions and eye contact
help to communicate tone.
2. If your audience cannot guess your intended tone, revise your approach and
try again.

I am going home now! I need to eat something! I need a break.

Tone: angry Tone: urgent Tone: playful

I am going home now. I need to eat something! I need a break!

Tone: sad Tone: joyful Tone: angry

I am going home now! I need to eat something. I need a break.

Tone: excited Tone: depressed Tone: sarcastic

I am going home now. I need to eat something. I need a break.

Tone: indifferent Tone: nervous Tone: indifferent
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

I am going home now. I need to eat something. I need a break.

Tone: bored Tone: indifferent Tone: bored

Unit 4 • The Final Act 271

 ACTIVITY 4.9
Drama Games: Connecting the Mind
continued and Body

My Notes Language and Writers Craft: Pronoun Usage

Correct language use is just as important in speaking as in writing. As you
complete writing and speaking assignments in this unit, be aware of how you are
using pronouns and follow these rules:
• Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in noun/pronoun agreement
(for example, “The student carried his/her backpack.” not “The student carried
their backpack.”)
• Avoid vague pronouns when referring to characters or to actions (for example,
“Smith and Jones are the new employees. Smith works in the Garden
Department.” not “Smith and Jones are the new employees. She works in the
Garden Department.”)
• Use pronouns in the proper case: subjective, objective, and possessive.
• Use intensive pronouns (such as themselves, ourselves, myself
myself) correctly.

Check Your Understanding

1. Make up a sentence of your own that communicates a specific tone.
Use descriptive words to express your tone. Share with your group to see
if they can infer the tone.

2. Why is teamwork a necessary part of any dramatic performance?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

3. How does imagination relate to performance?

4. Why is it important to plan and rehearse facial expressions and movement prior
to a performance?

5. How do sound and props enhance a performance?

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Select, rehearse, and role-
play a character’s lines from
the play you are reading
independently.

272 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Lear’s Limericks: Playing with Rhythm ACTIVITY

and Rhyme 4.10

Learning Target
• Analyze and rehearse a limerick, and present a practiced oral interpretation LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Diffusing, Summarizing,
of the poem.
Marking the Text, Rereading,
Rehearsal, Oral Reading
Before Reading
1. Think about performances of poetry that you might have seen or heard. How did
the performers say their lines? What made the performance effective?
My Notes

During Reading
2. Limericks are a form of poetry with a specific rhyme scheme. Limericks usually Literary Terms
have three long lines that end in words that rhyme and two shorter lines that A limerick is a light,
rhyme. A rhythm is created when reading limericks by stressing the rhyming humorous, nonsensical
words. As you hear the limericks that follow being read, follow along and note verse of five lines, usually
the rhyme scheme and rhythm of the words. with a rhyme scheme, or
rhyming pattern, of a-a-b-b-a.
In poetry, rhythm refers to
Introducing the Strategy: Oral Interpretation the pattern or flow of sound
An oral interpretation is reading aloud a literary text with expression. created by the arrangement
The purpose is to share with an audience the reader’s personal insight into of stressed and unstressed
syllables. Many types of
a text through voice, fluency, tone, and purpose. The oral interpretation
poems, such as limericks,
requires careful analysis of a text to determine appropriate rate (speed),
have a specific rhythm.
inflection (emphasis on specific words for effect), and tone (speaker’s
attitude toward the subject). It also requires appropriate eye contact and
facial expressions to show an understanding of the meaning of the text.
Literary Terms
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

An oral interpretation is
a way of expressing the
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
meaning of a written text
Although Edward Lear (1812–1888) was an artist and illustrator, he is
to others. The reader uses
remembered mainly for his limericks and nonsense poetry. He began writing fluency, tone of voice,
his nonsense verses as he was trying to become established as an artist. speed, and inflection to
Eventually he used his artistic skills to illustrate his own humorous works. convey meaning or interpret
the text.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 273

ACTIVITY 4.10
Lear’s Limericks: Playing with Rhythm
continued and Rhyme

GRAMMAR USAGE
Limericks
Punctuation Conventions
from
A Book of
Commas (,) and semicolons (;)
signal a brief pause, so slow

Nonsense
down the rate of speaking.
The dash (—) is used to
emphasize the content that
follows, so read the content
with inflection.
Exclamation points (!) indicate
that the speaker feels strong
emotion (e.g., excitement,
concern, or surprise), so by Edward Lear
read the content with louder
volume, a faster rate, and a
higher inflection. 1 There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared! —
Two Owls and a Hen,
My Notes Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
2 There was an Old Man with a nose,
Who said, “If you choose to suppose
That my nose is too long,
You are certainly wrong!”
That remarkable Man with a nose.
3 There was an Old Man on a hill,
Who seldom, if ever, stood still;
He ran up and down,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

In his Grandmother’s gown,
Which adorned that Old Man on a hill.
4 There was a Young Lady whose chin
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp,
And purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.
5 There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,
Who never had more than a penny;
He spent all that money
In onions and honey,
That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.

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 ACTIVITY 4.10
continued

6 There was an Old Man in a boat,

Who said, “I’m afloat! I’m afloat!” My Notes
When they said, “No! you ain’t!”
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.

7 There was an old man from Nantucket,

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
His daughter named Nan Literary Terms
Ran away with a man. Inflection is the emphasis
a speaker places on words
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
through changes in pitch
or volume. The rate is the
After Reading speed at which a speaker
3. You will perform one of the limericks for your group or class. Copy your poem delivers words.
onto a separate piece of paper or large index card. This will become your cue
card during your performance. Mark the text to help you perform it by doing
the following:
• Use one color to highlight the three end words that rhyme with each other.
Use a second color for the other two end words that rhyme.
• Look at the punctuation to help guide your inflection and rate for your oral
delivery. Highlight or note places where you should go slower or faster.
• Count and record the number of syllables per line. Then, circle the stressed
syllables or mark them with a third color.

4. Read your limerick aloud to yourself and follow your markings for rate,
inflection, and tone. Make adjustments as needed.
5. Memorize your limerick and rehearse your oral interpretation. Practice
delivering your poem. Be sure to use the following:
• Effective rate, inflection, and tone.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• Appropriate facial expressions and eye contact.

6. When it is your turn, perform your oral interpretation of a limerick.

Check Your Understanding

Listen to your classmates’ performances. What do you notice about the rate,
inflection, and tone of each performance? Decide which performances were best,
and write an explanation for the elements of performance used and how they
affected the oral interpretation.

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Select, analyze, rehearse,
and deliver meaningful
lines from the play you are
reading independently.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 275

ACTIVITY Planning and Presenting
4.11 a Reader’s Theater
Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze conflict, theme, and character in a drama.
Close Reading, Marking the
Text, Summarizing, Rereading, • Analyze and rehearse a drama and present it as a Reader’s Theater.
Graphic Organizer, Rehearsal,
Brainstorming, Role Playing Before Reading
1. What is the meaning of the word “miser?” What other words mean the same thing?

My Notes
During Reading
2. As you read this drama, mark the text by underlining ideas relating to the
story’s plot, conflict, and theme.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Shepard has written numerous award-winning books and stories. He
specializes in folk tales and other forms of traditional literature. Mr. Shepard
wrote his first story in fourth grade. From there, he went on to write multiple
poems, essays, and stories. He has performed professionally in Reader’s
Literary Terms Theater and currently is a full-time writer who expresses this thought about
A drama is also called a play. writing: “With researching, writing, and revising, a story can take me years to
It is a genre of literature that finish—or you might say that it’s never finished at all.”
is intended to be performed
before an audience.
Drama

The Millionaire Miser

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

by Aaron Shepard
Cast of Characters:
narrator 1 How to Say the Names:
narrator 2 Sushil | SOO-shil
narrator 3
Nirmala | NEER-ma-la
narrator 4
Sakka | SOK-a
sushil—the miser
boy
nirmala—the miser’s wife
sakka—The King of Heaven
man
woman
rajah—The Prince or Ruler
(servant, other townspeople, children)

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 ACTIVITY 4.11
continued

narrator 1: Sushil was a miser. Though his treasure house was full, he was too
stingy to give away even the smallest coin. WORD
CONNECTIONS
narrator 4: And since food cost money, he ate almost nothing, and starved his
Roots and Affixes
family and servants besides.
The word script comes from
narrator 2: One morning, as Sushil took his daily walk through town, he saw a the Latin word scribere,
boy eating a sweet rice dumpling. meaning “to write.” The roots
-script- and -scrib- both mean
boy: (makes loud sounds of enjoyment as he eats) “write” and appear in many
narrator 3: Sushil’s mouth watered as he made his way home. He said to himself, English words, including
scribble, scripture, describe,
sushil: If only I could ask my wife to make me a sweet dumpling. But if I wanted manuscript, and postscript.
one, so would my wife. And if my wife wanted one, so would the children. And if
the children wanted one, so would the servants. So I had better just keep quiet.
narrator 1: When Sushil arrived home, he said nothing about a dumpling. But
My Notes
he wanted one so badly, he felt weak. His legs shook, and he had to go to bed.
narrator 4: His wife, Nirmala, came to him. She asked,
nirmala: What is wrong, my husband?
narrator 2: Sushil lay groaning and clenched his teeth.
nirmala: Is there something you want?
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
narrator 3: Sushil’s face grew red, then purple. At last he squeaked, What text features of a play
Sushil: I would like a sweet rice dumpling. or drama are included in
“The Millionaire Miser?”
nirmala: That is no problem. We are wealthy enough. Why, I will make sweet
dumplings for the whole town!
Sushil: (gasps)
narrator 1: Sushil gasped in horror.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Sushil: You will make a pauper of me!

nirmala: Well then, I will make dumplings for our family and servants.
Sushil: Why would the servants need any?
nirmala: Then I will make them for us and the children.
Sushil: I am sure the children can do without.
nirmala: Then I will make one for you and one for me.
Sushil: Why would you want one?
narrator 4: Nirmala sighed and went out.
narrator 2: After a while, she returned with a single sweet dumpling.
narrator 3: Then she looked on as Sushil, moaning with delight, devoured
every crumb.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 277

ACTIVITY 4.11
Planning and Presenting
continued a Reader’s Theater
Sushil: (makes loud sounds of enjoyment as he eats)
My Notes
***
narrator 1: Now, it happened that all this was seen by Sakka, the King of
Heaven, who was sitting on his marble throne in his thousand-mile-high palace.
SAKKA: (appalled, looking down to earth) Not in seventy-seven millennia have I
ever seen such a miser! I will teach this fellow not to be so stingy.
narrator 4: So the god waited till the next day, when Sushil left on his morning
walk. Then he made himself look just like Sushil and came down to earth.
narrator 2: Sakka walked into Sushil’s house as if he were Sushil himself.
narrator 3: In Sushil’s own voice he told a servant,
SAKKA: (imitating Sushil) Run through the town and invite everyone you see. Today
Sushil will share his wealth!
servant: (excitedly bows and runs off)
narrator 1: When Nirmala heard these words, she cried,
nirmala: Husband, can this be true? Heaven be praised for your change of heart!
narrator 4: Then she helped him open the treasure house.
townspeople (including woman, man, boy): (enter)
narrator 2: Soon the people of the town arrived. The pretend Sushil told them,
SAKKA: Take what you will! And if anyone who looks like me tries to stop you,
drive away the scoundrel!
man: Thanks to Lord Sushil!
WOMAN: The most generous man alive!

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

narrator 3: They rushed into the treasure house and loaded themselves with
gold, silver, diamonds, and pearls.
narrator 1: Just then, the real Sushil came home.
narrator 4: When he saw his treasure being carried out the gate, he screamed,
Sushil: Robbers! Thieves! Put that back! How dare you!
narrator 2: But the townspeople said,
boy: This must be the one that Lord Sushil warned us about!
narrator 3: And they chased Sushil halfway across town.
woman: (chasing Sushil) Be off with you!
MAN: (chasing Sushil) And don’t show your face again!

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 ACTIVITY 4.11
continued

narrator 1: The crowd turned back. Sushil rushed on to the court of the Rajah.
My Notes
Sushil: (arriving out of breath, speaking frantically) Your Majesty, the people of the
town are taking all I own!
RAJAH: But your own servant invited them!
narrator 4: . . . said the Rajah.
RAJAH: I heard him myself. Did you not give the order?
Sushil: Never! If the order was given, I beg you to bring the one who gave it!
narrator 2: So the Rajah sent a messenger.
narrator 3: Soon came Sakka, still pretending to be Sushil, along with Nirmala
and the children. The children stared wide-eyed at the two Sushils, and Nirmala
nearly fainted.
Sushil: Impostor!
SAKKA: Deceiver!
RAJAH: (bewildered, looking from one to the other) I cannot tell the difference
between you!
narrator 1: . . . said the Rajah. He turned to Nirmala.
RAJAH: Can you say which is the true Sushil?
narrator 4: Nirmala looked at both men.
nirmala: Your Majesty, may I ask them a question?
RAJAH: Certainly.
narrator 2: Nirmala turned to Sakka.
nirmala: Is it better to be generous to yourself, to your family, to your servants, or
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

to your neighbors?
sakka: It is best to be generous to all! When you are generous, others also grow
generous, and everyone is wealthier.
narrator 3: Then Nirmala turned to Sushil.
nirmala: Is it better to be generous to yourself, to your family, to your servants, or
to your neighbors?
Sushil: To none! It is a waste of wealth that can never be regained!
narrator 1: Nirmala took a deep breath. She gathered the children, then drew
close to Sakka.
nirmala: This is the true Sushil, Your Majesty.
Sushil: But, Nirmala! My wife! My children!
narrator 4: At that, the god stepped forward. With a blinding flash of light, he
changed back to his own shape.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 279

ACTIVITY 4.11
Planning and Presenting
continued a Reader’s Theater
SAKKA: Your Majesty, I am not Sushil but Sakka. I came down from Heaven to
My Notes teach this man a lesson!
narrator 2: He turned to the trembling and downcast Sushil.
SAKKA: Do you see? You are so stingy, even your wife and children deny you!
sushil: (moans)
SAKKA: There is but one hope for you. Will you stop being such a miser?
Sushil: (hesitantly) Well . . . maybe I could be a little more generous.
SAKKA: (sternly) A little more?
Sushil: Well . . . maybe a little more than a little more.
SAKKA: You had better be a lot more generous. Or I’ll be back!
narrator 3: And with another flash of light, he vanished.
rajah: (to Sushil) Well!
narrator 1: . . . said the Rajah to Sushil.
RAJAH: It seems you indeed have been taught a good lesson!
Sushil: I suppose so, Your Majesty.
narrator 4: He turned shyly to Nirmala and held out his hand.
Sushil: (questioningly) Wife?
narrator 2: Nirmala took it.
nirmala: (smiling at him) Husband! Oh, Sushil, let us celebrate! I have an idea. Let
us make sweet rice dumplings for the entire town!
sushil: (gasps)

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

narrator 3: Sushil gasped in horror.
narrator 1: His legs shook.
narrator 4: He groaned and clenched his teeth.
narrator 2: His face grew red, then purple.
narrator 3: Then he squeaked,
sushil: All right!

280 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.11
continued

After Reading
3. In your groups, summarize the plot in two or three sentences, being sure to My Notes
mention the main characters, the conflict, and the resolution to the conflict.
4. What is the story’s theme? Choose details from the text (e.g., events) and
explain how they contribute to the development of the theme.

5. Compare and contrast poems and stories. How would this fable change if it were
written as a poem? Consider ideas, organization, language and conventions.

Reader’s Theater Performance

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

With your group, you will next prepare to perform this drama for your classmates.
Reader’s Theater is different from ordinary drama because instead of moving
around on a stage, each group begins by standing together with backs facing the
audience. When it is time to deliver lines, each character, in turn, will face the
audience to deliver his or her lines. Each group must figure out a way to indicate
the end of the performance.
1. You will be responsible for preparing to read a role in the play. Complete a
close reading of the drama. Mark the text by highlighting punctuation, italicized
words, and strong connotative diction (word choices) spoken by your character,
and decide how these determine the tone of voice you will use. Write a precise
word next to each of your character’s lines to describe the tone. Also, note how
you can use rate, inflection, and facial expressions to support the tone.
2. As you reread the play, use the graphic organizer on the next page to record your
character analysis. Some categories may not apply, depending on your character.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 281

ACTIVITY 4.11
Planning and Presenting
continued a Reader’s Theater
Character Name
Analysis Textual Evidence

Appearance

Actions

Words / Tone

Thoughts and Feelings

Others’ Reactions © 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

282 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.11
continued

3. Write a statement of interpretation about your character, based on the

information above. My Notes

4. Remember that props are used to clarify or add interest to a performance.

Brainstorm and record creative yet simple prop ideas next to your character’s lines.
5. Work collaboratively to rehearse role playing in a Reader’s Theater. You do not
need to memorize your lines, but you should know your part well.
• Brainstorm ideas for placement of characters in the line. Place people
purposefully for effect.
• Practice delivering your lines fluently, with effective rate, inflection, and tone.
• Practice using facial expressions and eye contact appropriate for your lines.
• Practice using a prop to clarify or add interest.
• Decide how to signal the conclusion of the performance.

6. Rehearse until you feel confident that your presentation has a strong beginning,
middle, and end.
7. After your performance, reflect on the following questions:
• Are you satisfied with your performance? Explain.
• You saw how other students performed your character. If you were to perform
this character again, what would you do differently?
• What helped you plan and prepare your performance? Explain.
• How did your reading and performance skills improve? What do you still need
to work on?

Check Your Understanding

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

As a member of the audience, listen to other students and evaluate their

performances.
• Who was most successful at conveying an appropriate tone? Why?
• Who was the most believable character? What did this student do well?
• What can students do to create a more believable character?
• Who had the most effective prop? Explain.
• How do props affect your perception of the performance and the character?

Unit 4 • The Final Act 283

ACTIVITY A Poetic Performance
4.12

Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Creatively present a poem to the class.
Diffusing, Summarizing, Choral
Reading, Marking the Text,
Rereading, Brainstorming, Before Reading
Rehearsal 1. You have read limericks, which have a strong rhythm and rhyme. What do you
suppose is the difference between a fixed form of poetry like limericks and free
verse poetry?

Literary Terms 2. How might alliteration strengthen a poem or performance?

Free verse is poetry that does
not follow any regular pattern,
rhythm, or rhyme.
Alliteration is the repetition
Introducing the Strategy: Choral Reading
of consonant sounds at the Choral reading is reading text aloud in groups to present an interpretation of a
beginnings of words that are text. This strategy can be used to develop reading fluency; to practice phrasing,
close together. For example: pacing, and reading dialogue; and to show how a character’s emotions are
Lucie loves lions and lollipops. captured through vocal emphasis and tone.
Kind-hearted Kate helped
Henry with his homework.
During Reading
3. Following are three poems. Your teacher will assign one to your group for choral
reading. For your poem:
WORD
CONNECTIONS • Copy the poem onto a separate piece of paper or large index cards. These will
become your cue card(s) during your performance.
Word Relationships • Work to make meaning of your poem by diffusing the text. Summarize the
As you diffuse the poems you poem on the back of the card and state the main idea.
will read, look for relationships
• Analyze the structure of the poem and plan your choral reading. Mark the
between words. How are they
text, deciding how you could divide up the poem for two to three voices. You
alike or different? For example,
flight and wing are related,
may also want some lines to be read by more than one speaker at the same
while flying and walking time. Why should you emphasize these words in the poem?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

are different ways to get • Highlight the punctuation to show when to slow down or pause during your
somewhere. oral delivery.
• Highlight alliteration in the poem. Decide how you will use this feature in
your oral delivery.
• Remember that a performance requires careful analysis to determine
My Notes appropriate rate (speed), inflection (emphasis on specific words for effect),
and tone (speaker’s attitude toward the subject). It also requires appropriate
eye contact and facial expressions, which should be consistent with the other
elements. Reread the text and record your analysis of these five elements of
performance next to your poem.
• Props can be used to clarify ideas and add interest. Brainstorm creative yet
simple ideas for props. Record your ideas for props next to appropriate lines
in the poem.

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 ACTIVITY 4.12
continued

ABOUT THE AUTHOR My Notes

Of Mexican-American heritage, Gary Soto grew up in Fresno, California. In
high school, he discovered a love of reading and knew he wanted to be a
writer. He started writing while in college. His poems, short stories, and
novels capture the vivid details of everyday life and have won numerous
awards and prizes.

Poetry

Oranges
by Gary Soto

The first time I walked

With a girl, I was twelve,
Cold, and weighted down
With two oranges in my jacket. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
Free verse does not follow
5 December. Frost cracking any regular pattern,
Beneath my steps, my breath rhythm, or rhyme.
Before me, then gone, Of the poems in this
activity, which has the most
As I walked toward fixed form? That is, which
Her house, the one whose has a regular pattern of
rhythm and rhyme?
10 Porch light burned yellow
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Night and day, in any weather.

A dog barked at me, until
She came out pulling
At her gloves, face bright
15 With rouge. I smiled,
Touched her shoulder, and led
Her down the street, across
A used car lot and a line
Of newly planted trees,
20 Until we were breathing
Before a drugstore. We
Entered, the tiny bell
Bringing a saleslady
Down a narrow aisle of goods.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 285

ACTIVITY 4.12
A Poetic Performance
continued

25 I turned to the candies

My Notes Tiered like bleachers,
And asked what she wanted—
Light in her eyes, a smile
Starting at the corners
30 Of her mouth. I fingered
A nickle in my pocket,
And when she lifted a chocolate
That cost a dime,
I didn’t say anything.
35 I took the nickle from
My pocket, then an orange,
And set them quietly on
The counter. When I looked up,
The lady’s eyes met mine,
40 And held them, knowing
Very well what it was all
About.
Outside,
A few cars hissing past,
45 Fog hanging like old
Coats between the trees.
I took my girl’s hand
In mine for two blocks,
Then released it to let

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

50 Her unwrap the chocolate.
I peeled my orange
That was so bright against
The gray of December
That, from some distance,
55 Someone might have thought
I was making a fire in my hands.

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 ACTIVITY 4.12
continued

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My Notes
As one of eleven children, Lewis Carroll (1832–1898) became adept at
entertaining himself and his siblings with fantastic stories. Born as Charles
Dodgson, Carroll published his stories under a pen name. Carroll is best
known for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
and What Alice Found There. His books have become classics that children
throughout the world enjoy.

Poetry

Jabb e r wocky
by Lewis Carroll
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
5 ‘Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!’
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
10 Long time the manxome foe he sought –
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
15 Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
20 He went galumphing back.
‘And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
He chortled in his joy.
25 ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 287

ACTIVITY 4.12
A Poetic Performance
continued

4. Parts of this poem can be read by two voices at the same time. Words in blue
My Notes that can be spoken by the two speakers together. Mark the rest of the poem to
decide how you would have two people read lines at the same time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Fleischman, who writes historical fiction and drama as well as poetry,
loves to make a connection between writing and music, as he does in
“Fireflies.” He won the Newbery Medal in 1989 for Joyful Noise: Poems for
Two Voices.

Poetry

Fireflies
A Poem for Two Voices
by Paul Fleischman

Light Light
is the ink we use
Night Night
is our parchment
We’re fireflies
fireflies flickering
flitting
flashing
fireflies

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

glimmering fireflies
gleaming
glowing
Insect calligraphers Insect calligraphers
practicing penmanship
copying sentences
WORD Six-legged scribblers Six-legged scribblers
CONNECTIONS of vanishing messages,
Word Relationships fleeting graffiti
Looking for the relationships Fine artists in flight Fine artists in flight
among words can help you
adding dabs of light
make meaning. For example, fly,
flying, and flight have similar bright brush strokes
meanings. Other relationships Signing the June nights Signing the June nights
may be shown with different as if they were paintings as if they were paintings
words that have similar We’re
meanings. What do copying,
scribblers, and signing have in
flickering fireflies
common? fireflies flickering
fireflies. fireflies.

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 ACTIVITY 4.12
continued

After Reading
5. Prepare to deliver your choral reading. Reread your lines aloud multiple times to My Notes
improve your fluency.
6. Rehearse your performance with your partner or group. As you rehearse:
• Deliver a choral reading of your poem until it is smooth and effective.
• Practice your lines with an effective rate, inflection, and tone.
• Use facial expressions and eye contact appropriate for your lines.
• Practice delivering your poem with props.

When it is your turn, perform your poem.

Check Your Understanding

As your classmates deliver their choral readings, listen closely to comprehend the
tone and meaning of each poem. Also evaluate each speaker’s rate and inflection
for how they added to your understanding. Use the graphic organizer below
to compare and contrast the experience of reading the poems to hearing and
seeing them performed. Be sure to included responses to these questions in your
comparison:
• What was your understanding of the poem from reading it alone?
• How did your understanding change during group discussions and preparing for
a choral reading?
• How did the live performance change your understanding?

Reading Poem Listening to Performance

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Choose lines from the
play you are reading
independently to rehearse
and deliver to a partner.
Focus on communicating
meaning through your
delivery rate, inflection,
tone, facial expressions, and
eye contact.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 289

ACTIVITY Previewing the Play
4.13

Learning Targets
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze visual and informational texts and make predictions about the
Diffusing, Marking the Text,
characters, plot, and conflict of a drama.
Paraphrasing, Summarizing,
Role Playing • Analyze dialogue to understand character and plot.

The Taming of the Shrew

1. Look closely at this illustration of a scene from The Taming of the Shrew. What
My Notes does this picture communicate about the play’s setting, characters, conflict,
and plot?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

2. As you read the text that follows, highlight and underline important information
that tells you about the plot, characters, action, and conflict of the play you are
to read.

290 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 ACTIVITY 4.13
continued

Plot Summary: The Taming of the Shrew

Shakespeare wrote the comedy The Taming of the Shrew toward the beginning My Notes
of his career (1590). The play is set in Padua, Italy, where a wealthy old man,
Baptista, has two daughters of marriageable age. His younger daughter, Bianca,
is beautiful and well-mannered, so men such as Gremio and Hortensio, suitors
for her hand in marriage, are attracted to her. His older daughter, Katherine, is
also beautiful, but she is ill-tempered and a shrew (a woman of violent temper),
so men are not as attracted to her. Baptista will not allow Bianca to get married
until someone marries Katherine. Petruchio, an arrogant young man from Verona,
decides he will marry Katherine for her money—whether she likes it or not—and
her father agrees to the match. Petruchio then manages to woo and win Kate’s
heart and obedience so that they live happily ever after.

Cast of Characters
Character Pronunciation Description
Baptista Minola [bap-TEES-tuh] Katherine and Bianca’s father, a wealthy old man

Katherine [kat-ah-REE-nuh] Baptista’s older daughter; the shrew

Bianca [bee-AN-kuh] Baptista’s younger daughter

Petruchio [peh-TROOK-ee-oh] A young man from Verona who wants to marry Katherine

Grumio [GROOM-ee-oh] Petruchio’s servant

Lucentio [loo-CHEN-seeo] A rich young man from Pisa who wants to marry Bianca (later
disguised as the teacher Cambio)
Tranio [TRAH-neeoh] Lucentio’s servant (later disguised as Lucentio)

Biondello [bee-yawn-DELL-oh] Lucentio’s servant

Hortensio [hor-TEN-shee-oh] A young man who wants to marry Bianca (later disguised as the
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

teacher Litio); friend of Petruchio

Gremio [GREEM-ee-oh] A rich and ridiculous old man who wants to marry Bianca

3. Define comedy as the opposite of tragedy.

4. Why do you think “taming” a shrew would be a comedy?

Unit 4 • The Final Act 291

ACTIVITY 4.13
Previewing the Play
continued

Introducing the Conflict

5. Read the following scene from Act I of Taming of the Shrew. As you read, look
at the underlined words and their meaning in modern English.

Hortensio: (a young man who wants to marry I pray = please; may I ask
Bianca) . . . Signior Gremio; but a word, I pray. Though the quarrel = reason for hostility
nature of our quarrel yet never brooked parle, know now,
upon advice, it toucheth us both (that we may yet again brooked parle = allowed for discussion
have access to our fair mistress and be happy rivals in advice = careful consideration
Bianca’s love) to labor and effect one thing specially. toucheth = concerns
labor and effect = strive for and achieve
Gremio: (a rich old man who wants to marry Bianca) What’s
that, I pray?
Hortensio: Marry, sir, to get a husband for her sister. Marry = listen, I agree, well, indeed

Gremio: A husband? a devil!

Hortensio: I say “a husband.”

Gremio: I say “a devil.” Think’st thou, Hortensio, though Think’st thou = do you imagine
her father be very rich, any man is so very a fool to be
married to hell?
Hortensio: Tush, Gremio. Though it pass your patience and Tush = an exclamation of disapproval
mine to endure her loud alarums, why, man, there be good alarums = noises; disturbances
fellows in the world, an a man could light on them, would
take her with all faults, and money enough. light on = find
and = if (there were)
Gremio: I cannot tell; but I had as lief take her dowry had as lief = would just as soon
with this condition: to be whipped at the high cross every dowry = the money, goods, or estate that a wife
morning.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

brings to her husband at marriage
whipped at the high cross = an allusion (reference) to
a cruel mode of punishment
Hortensio: Faith, as you say, there’s small choice in Faith = an emphatic expression used to confirm an
rotten apples. But, come; since this bar in law makes us idea
friends, it shall be so far forth friendly maintained till by bar in law = legal barrier (Baptista’s “law”)
helping Baptista’s eldest daughter to a husband we set
his youngest free for a husband, and then have to’t afresh. have to’t afresh = compete (become rivals) again
Sweet Bianca! Happy man be his dole! He that runs fastest Happy man be his dole! = may the man find
gets the ring. How say you, Signior Gremio? happiness
Gremio: I am agreed; and would I had given him the best would I had = I wish I had
horse in Padua to begin his wooing that would thoroughly wooing = trying to win a woman to marriage
woo her, wed her, and rid the house of her! Come on.
Gremio and Hortensio exit

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 ACTIVITY 4.13
continued

6. With a partner, reread the dialogue in the scene carefully. Paraphrase the text to
show your understanding of this scene. My Notes

7. Reread the lines of your assigned character, mark the punctuation, and
annotate the text to show how the punctuation affects an oral delivery (i.e.,
rate, inflection, volume, tone). Role-play with a partner. Be sure to focus on all
elements of your oral delivery.

Check Your Understanding

Briefly summarize the excerpt on the preceding page. What does the dialogue
reveal about Katherine? What does the dialogue reveal about Baptista? What
conflict is being set up?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 293

ACTIVITY Guided Reading of The Taming of
4.14 the Shrew
Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze and rehearse an excerpt from The Taming of the Shrew to present an
Previewing, Sketching,
oral interpretation of the scene.
Visualizing, Predicting,
Rereading, Close Reading,
Marking the Text, Rehearsal, Before Reading
Oral Interpretation 1. Preview the text and review the major feature of a play. What are the unique
features of a drama?

My Notes

2. Make predictions.
• How will Petruchio attempt to tame the shrew?

• Will Petruchio successfully tame Katherine by the end of the play?

During Reading
3. As you read, analyze Shakespeare’s use of diction, syntax, and rhetorical
devices. Mark the text to show your thinking and to write the modern English
version of words to help you make meaning of each scene.

Drama

Shrew
The Taming of the

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

by William Shakespeare

Chunk 1

Act I, Scene II
Padua. Before HORTENSIO’S house
Enter PETRUCHIO and his man GRUMIO, and HORTENSIO
Hortensio: Petruchio, shall I then come roundly to thee
And wish thee to a shrewd ill-favour’d wife?
Thou’dst thank me but a little for my counsel.
And yet I’ll promise thee she shall be rich,
And very rich : but thou’rt too much my friend,
And I’ll not wish thee to her.
Petruchio: Signior Hortensio, ‘twixt such friends as we
Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know
One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife,
As wealth is burden of my wooing dance,

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 ACTIVITY 4.14
continued

Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,

As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd My Notes
As Socrates’ Xanthippe or a worse,
She moves me not, or not removes, at least
Affection’s edge in me, were she as rough
As are the swelling Adriatic seas.
I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.
Grumio: Nay, look you, sir, he tells you flatly what his
mind is. Why, give him gold enough and marry him to
a puppet or an aglet-baby, or an old trot with ne’er
a tooth in her head, though she have as many diseases
as two and fifty horses. Why, nothing comes amiss,
so money comes withal.
Hortensio: Petruchio, since we are stepp’d thus far in,
I will continue that I broach’d in jest.
I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife
With wealth enough, and young and beauteous;
Brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman;
Her only fault, and that is faults enough,
Is that she is intolerable curst,
And shrewd and froward so beyond all measure
That, were my state far worser than it is,
I would not wed her for a mine of gold.
Chunk 2
Petruchio: Hortensio, peace. Thou know’st not gold’s effect.
Tell me her father’s name, and ‘tis enough;
For I will board her though she chide as loud
As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Hortensio: Her father is Baptista Minola,

An affable and courteous gentleman;
Her name is Katherine Minola,
Renown’d in Padua for her scolding tongue.
Petruchio. I know her father, though I know not her;
And he knew my deceased father well.
I will not sleep, Hortensio, till I see her;
And therefore let me be thus bold with you
To give you over at this first encounter—
Unless you will accompany me thither.
Grumio: [to Hortensio] I pray you, sir, let him go while
the humour lasts. O’ my word, and she knew him as well as I do, she
would think scolding would do little good upon him.
She may perhaps call him half a score knaves or so.
Why, that’s nothing; an he begin once, he’ll rail in
his rope-tricks. I’ll tell you what, sir: an she
stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in

Unit 4 • The Final Act 295

ACTIVITY 4.14
Guided Reading of The Taming of
continued the Shrew
her face, and so disfigure her with it that she
My Notes shall have no more eyes to see withal than a cat.
You know him not, sir.
. . . Enter Gremio and Lucentio (disguised as Cambio)
Hortensio: Gremio, ‘tis now no time to vent our love.
Listen to me, and if you speak me fair
I’ll tell you news indifferent good for either.
[Presenting Petruchio.] Here is a gentleman whom by chance I met,
Upon agreement from us to his liking,
Will undertake to woo curst Katherine,
Yea, and to marry her, if her dowry please.
Gremio: So said, so done, is well.
Hortensio, have you told him all her faults?
Petruchio: I know she is an irksome brawling scold.
If that be all, masters, I hear no harm.
Chunk 3
Gremio: No, sayst me so, friend? What countryman?
Petruchio: Born in Verona, old Antonio’s son.
My father dead, my fortune lives for me,
And I do hope good days and long to see.
Gremio: Oh, Sir, such a life with such a wife were strange.
But if you have a stomach, to’t, i’ a God’s name!
You shall have me assisting you in all.
But will you woo this wild-cat?
Petruchio: Will I live?
Grumio: Will he woo her? Ay, or I’ll hang her.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Petruchio: Why came I hither but to that intent?
Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?
Have I not in my time heard lions roar?
Have I not heard the sea, puffed up with winds,
Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat?
Have I not heard great ordnance in the field,
And heaven’s artillery thunder in the skies?
Have I not in a pitched battle heard
Loud ‘larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets’ clang?
And do you tell me of a woman’s tongue,
That gives not half so great a blow to hear
As will a chestnut in a farmer’s fire?
Tush! tush! fear boys with bugs.
Grumio: For he fears none.

Act II, Scene I

Padua. BAPTISTA’S house
Enter KATHERINE and BIANCA (with her hands tied)

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 ACTIVITY 4.14
continued

Bianca. Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself,

To make a bondmaid and a slave of me. My Notes
That I disdain; but for these other goods—
Unbind my hands, I’ll pull them off myself,
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat,
Or what you will command me will I do,
So well I know my duty to my elders.
Chunk 4
Katherine: Of all thy suitors here I charge thee tell
Whom thou lov’st best. See thou dissemble not.
Bianca: Believe me, sister, of all the men alive
I never yet beheld that special face
Which I could fancy more than any other.
Katherine: Minion, thou liest. Is’t not Hortensio?
Bianca: If you affect him, sister, here I swear
I’ll plead for you myself but you shall have him.
Katherine: O then, belike, you fancy riches more:
You will have Gremio to keep you fair.
Bianca: Is it for him you do envy me so?
Nay, then you jest; and now I well perceive
You have but jested with me all this while.
I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands.
Katherine: [Strikes her] If that be jest, then all the rest was so.
Enter BAPTISTA
Baptista: Why, how now, dame! Whence grows this insolence?
Bianca, stand aside—poor girl, she weeps!
[He unties her hands.] [to Bianca] Go ply thy needle; meddle not with her.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

[to Katherine] For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit,

Why dost thou wrong her that did ne’er wrong thee?
When did she cross thee with a bitter word?
Chunk 5
Katherine: Her silence flouts me, and I’ll be revenged! [She flies after
BIANCA.]
Baptista: What, in my sight? Bianca, get thee in.
Exit BIANCA
Katherine: What, will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see
She is your treasure, she must have a husband;
I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day,
And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.
Talk not to me; I will go sit and weep
Till I can find occasion of revenge.
Exit KATHERINE

Unit 4 • The Final Act 297

ACTIVITY 4.14
Guided Reading of The Taming of
continued the Shrew
Baptista: Was ever gentleman thus grieved as I?
My Notes But who comes here?
Enter GREMIO, with LUCENTIO in the habit of a mean man; PETRUCHIO,
with HORTENSIO as a musician; and TRANIO, as LUCENTIO, with his boy,
BIONDELLO, bearing a lute and books
Gremio: Good morrow, neighbor Baptista.
Baptista: Good morrow, neighbor Gremio.
God save you, gentlemen.
Petruchio: And you, good sir. Pray, have you not a daughter
Called Katherine, fair and virtuous?
Baptista: I have a daughter, sir, called Katherine.
Gremio: [to Petruchio] You are too blunt; go to it orderly.
Petruchio: You wrong me, Signior Gremio; give me leave.
I am a gentleman of Verona, sir,
That, hearing of her beauty and her wit,
Her affability and bashful modesty,
Her wondrous qualities and mild behavior,
Am bold to show myself a forward guest
Within your house, to make mine eye the witness
Of that report which I so oft have heard . . .

After Reading
4. Conduct a close reading to analyze your assigned character based on what the
text says explicitly as well as what you infer from the text. Record your analysis
and evidence in the graphic organizer.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Character Name Analysis Textual Evidence

Appearance

Actions

Words and Tone

Thoughts and Feelings

Others’ Reactions

5. How does Shakespeare develop the point of view of each character in

the scene?

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 ACTIVITY 4.14
continued

6. What is the theme or central idea of the scene? How does Shakespeare convey
this idea? INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Complete the following for
the play you have chosen.
• Sketch a tableau that
shows the relationships
among characters in
the play.
Plan a Performance
7. Now that you have a deeper understanding of your character and the scene, • Analyze the diction,
syntax, and rhetorical
plan a performance.
devices used by the
• Annotate the text to indicate how you would orally deliver each of your lines: writer for effect. Do you
Determine an accurate and effective rate, rhythm, inflection, and tone. notice any patterns?
• Annotate the text to indicate how you would physically deliver each of your • Analyze your favorite
lines: Determine accurate and effective eye contact, facial expressions, character.
and movement.
• Determine the central
• Complete the graphic organizer below to indicate how you could enhance idea or theme of the play.
the delivery of your lines through the use of objects and background sound
or images.

Element of Performance Description Explanation

Props

Sound or Images

8. Set goals for your oral interpretation and rehearse until your group feels
confident that you have met your goals. Remember, Shakespeare’s lines are My Notes
often written in iambic pentameter (10 unstressed/stressed beats per line). As
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

you discuss your scene and rehearse, keep the following in mind:
• Understand ideas: Ask questions for clarification when necessary.
• Explore ideas: Challenge your classmates to think in a different way or on a
deeper level.
• Reflect on the strength of ideas under discussion. Offer ideas to strengthen
the presentation.

9. When it is your turn, deliver your presentation. After your presentation,

reflect on your performance and what you may need to do to prepare for the
performance for the Embedded Assessment.

Check Your Understanding

As each group performs, write a summary of your interpretation of the scene. Listen
carefully to comprehend meaning, and use verbal and visual clues to help you
understand the performance.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 299

ACTIVITY One Text, Two Perspectives
4.15

Learning Target
LEARNING STRATEGIES: • Analyze scenes from a film version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew
Graphic Organizer, Rereading,
and explain how the play and the film are similar and different.
Close Reading, Note-taking

1. As you view scenes from the play, compare and contrast Shakespeare’s play
with the 1967 film version. Take notes in the graphic organizer below.

My Notes The Play The Film

Setting

Characters

Conflict/Plot

Theme

2. Compare and contrast the experience of reading a drama to viewing a film

version of the text.

Check Your Understanding

Expository Writing Prompt: Explain how Shakespeare’s and the director’s
approach to the same topic and theme are similar and different. Be sure to:
• Establish a controlling, or central, idea.
• Organize information using the compare/contrast strategy.
• Provide relevant information and examples.
• Use literary terms and/or academic vocabulary to inform or explain.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

300 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Performing Shakespeare EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2

Assignment
Work collaboratively to prepare and present a reader’s theater performance of a My Notes
scene from Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. Your performance should
have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Planning: Take time to make a plan for your performance.

• Who will be the members of your group, and what will you name your acting
company?
• How will you choose a director and divide the lines fairly among the actors?

Analyzing: Read your script carefully for understanding and character analysis.
• How can you work collaboratively to make meaning of the text?
• How will you (as an actor) work independently to further analyze your
character?
• How will you (as the director) support the actors in their character analysis?

Preparing and Rehearsing: Create and revise a performance plan.

• How will you (as an actor) learn your lines and create cue cards to aid
memorization and performance?
• How will you (as the director) draft an introduction and conclusion and help the
actors to prepare?
• How will you work collaboratively to revise and polish your performance plan?

Evaluating and Performing: Create opportunities to review and rehearse

your presentations.
• How can the Scoring Guide help you evaluate how well you are prepared to
meet the requirements of the assignment?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

• How will you use oral, physical and visual elements to engage your audience?
• How will you take notes during the other students’ presentations to compare
and contrast their interpretations with your own?

Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this task, and respond to the following:
• How did students perform the same characters differently? Which choices did
you think were most effective and engaging?
• If you were to perform a Shakespearean scene again, what would you do
differently?

Technology TIP:

If possible, videotape one

of your rehearsals in order
to review and refine your
performance.

Unit 4 • The Final Act 301

EMBEDDED Performing Shakespeare
ASSESSMENT 2

Group 1
My Notes
Act II, Scene I: Padua. BAPTISTA’S house
Exit all but PETRUCHIO . . .
[Enter KATHERINE]
Petruchio: Good morrow, Kate—for that’s your name, I hear.
Katherine: Well have you heard, but something hard of hearing:
They call me Katherine that do talk of me.
Petruchio: You lie, in faith, for you are call’d plain Kate,
And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst;
But, Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom,
Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,
For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate,
Take this of me, Kate of my consolation—
Hearing thy mildness prais’d in every town,
Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded,
Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs,
Myself am mov’d to woo thee for my wife.
Katherine: Mov’d! in good time! Let him that mov’d you hither
Remove you hence.
Petruchio: Alas, good Kate, I will not burden thee!
For, knowing thee to be but young and light—
Katherine: Too light for such a swain as you to catch;
And yet as heavy as my weight should be.
Petruchio: Should be! should—buzz!
Katherine: Well ta’en, and like a buzzard.
Petruchio: O, slow-wing’d turtle, shall a buzzard take thee?
Katherine: Ay, for a turtle, as he takes a buzzard.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp; i’ faith, you are too angry.
Katherine: If I be waspish, best beware my sting.
Petruchio: My remedy is then to pluck it out.
Katherine: Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies.
Petruchio: Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting?
Katherine: In his tongue.
Petruchio: Whose tongue?
Katherine: Yours, if you talk of tales; and so farewell.
Petruchio: Nay, come again, Good Kate; I am a gentleman.
Katherine: That I’ll try. [She strikes him]
Petruchio: I swear I’ll cuff you, if you strike again.
Katherine: So may you lose your arms.
If you strike me, you are no gentleman;
And if no gentleman, why then no arms.

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 EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2

Group 2
My Notes
Petruchio: Nay, come, Kate, come; you must not look so sour.
Katherine: It is my fashion, when I see a crab.
Petruchio: Why, here’s no crab; and therefore look not sour:
Katherine: There is, there is.
Petruchio: Then show it me.
Katherine: Had I a glass I would.
Petruchio: What, you mean my face?
Katherine: Well aim’d of such a young one.
Petruchio: Now, by Saint George, I am too young for you.
Katherine: Yet you are wither’d.
Petruchio: ‘Tis with cares.
Katherine: I care not.
Petruchio: Nay, hear you, Kate—in sooth, you scape not so.
Katherine: I chafe you, if I tarry; let me go.
Petruchio: No, not a whit; I find you passing gentle.
‘Twas told me you were rough, and coy, and sullen,
And now I find report a very liar;
For thou art pleasant, gamesome, passing courteous,
But slow in speech, yet sweet as springtime flowers.
Thou canst not frown, thou canst not look askance,
Nor bite the lip, as angry wenches will,
Nor hast thou pleasure to be cross in talk;
But thou with mildness entertain’st thy wooers;
With gentle conference, soft and affable.
Why does the world report that Kate doth limp?
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

O sland’rous world! Kate like the hazel-twig

Is straight and slender, and as brown in hue
As hazel-nuts, and sweeter than the kernels.
O, let me see thee walk. Thou dost not halt.
Katherine: Go, fool, and whom thou keep’st command.
Petruchio: Did ever Dian so become a grove
As Kate this chamber with her princely gait?
O, be thou Dian, and let her be Kate;
And then let Kate be chaste, and Dian sportful!
Katherine: Where did you study all this goodly speech?
Petruchio: It is extempore, from my mother wit.
Katherine: A witty mother! witless else her son.
Petruchio: Marry, so I mean, sweet Katherine.
And therefore, setting all this chat aside,

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Thus in plain terms: your father hath consented

My Notes That you shall be my wife your dowry greed on;
And will you, nill you, I will marry you.
Now, Kate, I am a husband for your turn;
For, by this light, whereby I see thy beauty,
Thy beauty that doth make me like thee well,
Thou must be married to no man but me;
For I am he am born to tame you, Kate,
And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate
Conformable as other household Kates.
[Re-enter BAPTISTA, GREMIO, and TRANIO]
Here comes your father. Never make denial;
I must and will have Katherine to my wife.

Group 3
Act III, Scene II: Padua. Before BAPTISTA’S house
Baptista Minola: Is he come?
Biondello: Why, no, sir.
Baptista Minola: What then?
Biondello: He is coming.
Baptista Minola: When will he be here?
Biondello: When he stands where I am and sees you there.
Tranio: But say, what to thine old news?
Biondello: Why, Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old
jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turn’d; a pair of boots
that have been candle-cases, one buckled, another lac’d; an old
rusty sword ta’en out of the town armoury, with a broken hilt,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

and chapeless; with two broken points; his horse hipp’d, with an
old motley saddle and stirrups of no kindred . . .
Enter PETRUCHIO and GRUMIO
Petruchio: Come, where be these gallants? Who’s at home?
Baptista Minola: You are welcome, sir.
Petruchio: And yet I come not well.
Baptista Minola: And yet you halt not.
Tranio: Not so well apparell’d
As I wish you were.
Petruchio: Were it better, I should rush in thus.
But where is Kate? Where is my lovely bride?
How does my father? Gentles, methinks you frown;
And wherefore gaze this goodly company
As if they saw some wondrous monument,
Some comet or unusual prodigy?

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Baptista Minola: Why, sir, you know this is your wedding-day.

First were we sad, fearing you would not come; My Notes
Now sadder, that you come so unprovided.
Fie, doff this habit, shame to your estate,
An eye-sore to our solemn festival!

[after the wedding]

Enter PETRUCHIO, KATHERINE, BIANCA, BAPTISTA, HORTENSIO,
GRUMIO, and train
Petruchio: Gentlemen and friends, I thank you for your pains.
I know you think to dine with me to-day,
And have prepar’d great store of wedding cheer
But so it is—my haste doth call me hence,
And therefore here I mean to take my leave.
Baptista Minola: Is’t possible you will away to-night?
Petruchio: I must away to-day before night come.
Make it no wonder; if you knew my business,
You would entreat me rather go than stay.
And, honest company, I thank you all
That have beheld me give away myself
To this most patient, sweet, and virtuous wife.
Dine with my father, drink a health to me.
For I must hence; and farewell to you all.

Group 4
Tranio: Let us entreat you stay till after dinner.
Petruchio: It may not be.
Gremio: Let me entreat you.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Petruchio: It cannot be.

Katherine: Let me entreat you.
Petruchio: I am content.
Katherine: Are you content to stay?
Petruchio: I am content you shall entreat me stay;
But yet not stay, entreat me how you can.
Katherine: Now, if you love me, stay.
Petruchio: Grumio, my horse.
Grumio: Ay, sir, they be ready; the oats have eaten the horses.
Katherine: Nay, then,
Do what thou canst, I will not go to-day;
No, nor to-morrow, not till I please myself.
The door is open, sir; there lies your way;
You may be jogging whiles your boots are green;
For me, I’ll not be gone till I please myself.

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ASSESSMENT 2

‘Tis like you’ll prove a jolly surly groom

My Notes That take it on you at the first so roundly.
Petruchio: O Kate, content thee; prithee be not angry.
Katherine: I will be angry; what hast thou to do?
Father, be quiet; he shall stay my leisure.
Gremio: Ay, marry, sir, now it begins to work.
Katherine: Gentlemen, forward to the bridal dinner.
I see a woman may be made a fool
If she had not a spirit to resist.
Petruchio: They shall go forward, Kate, at thy command.
Obey the bride, you that attend on her;
Go to the feast, revel and domineer,
Carouse full measure;
Be mad and merry, or go hang yourselves.
But for my bonny Kate, she must with me.
Nay, look not big, nor stamp, nor stare, nor fret;
I will be master of what is mine own—
She is my goods, my chattels, she is my house,
My household stuff, my field, my barn,
My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything,
And here she stands; touch her whoever dare;
I’ll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua. Grumio,
Draw forth thy weapon; we are beset with thieves;
Rescue thy mistress, if thou be a man.
Fear not, sweet wench; they shall not touch thee, Kate;
I’ll buckler thee against a million.
Exit PETRUCHIO, KATHERINE, and GRUMIO

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Group 5
Baptista Minola: Nay, let them go, a couple of quiet ones.
Gremio: Went they not quickly, I should die with laughing.
Tranio: Of all mad matches, never was the like.
Lucentio: Mistress, what’s your opinion of your sister?
Bianca: That, being mad herself, she’s madly mated.
Gremio: I warrant him, Petruchio is Kated.

Group 3
Act IV, Scene I: PETRUCHIO’S country house
Enter PETRUCHIO and KATHERINE
Petruchio: Where be these knaves? What, no man at door
To hold my stirrup nor to take my horse!

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Where is Nathaniel, Gregory, Philip?

Servants: Here, here, sir; here, sir. My Notes
Petruchio: Here, sir! here, sir! here, sir! here, sir!
You logger-headed and unpolish’d grooms!
What, no attendance? no regard? no duty?
Where is the foolish knave I sent before?
Grumio: Here, sir; as foolish as I was before.
Petruchio: YOU peasant swain! You malt-horse drudge!
Go, rascals, go and fetch my supper in.
[Exit some of the SERVINGMEN]
[Sings] Where is the life that late I led?
Where are those—
Sit down, Kate, and welcome.
Katherine: Patience, I pray you; ‘twas a fault unwilling.
Petruchio: A beetle-headed, flap-ear’d knave!
Come, Kate, sit down; I know you have a stomach.
Will you give thanks, sweet Kate, or else shall I?
What’s this? Mutton?
First Servant: Ay.
Petruchio: Who brought it?
Peter: I.
Petruchio: ‘Tis burnt; and so is all the meat.
What dogs are these? Where is the rascal cook?
How durst you villains bring it from the dresser
And serve it thus to me that love it not?
There, take it to you, trenchers, cups, and all;
[Throws the meat, etc., at them]
You heedless joltheads and unmanner’d slaves!
What, do you grumble? I’ll be with you straight.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

[Exit SERVANTS]
Katherine: I pray you, husband, be not so disquiet;
The meat was well, if you were so contented.
Petruchio: I tell thee, Kate, ‘twas burnt and dried away,
And I expressly am forbid to touch it;
For it engenders choler, planteth anger;
And better ‘twere that both of us did fast,
Since, of ourselves, ourselves are choleric,
Than feed it with such over-roasted flesh.
Be patient; to-morrow ‘t shall be mended.
And for this night we’ll fast for company.
[Exit]

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ASSESSMENT 2

Group 6
My Notes
Re-enter SERVANTS severally
Nathaniel: Peter, didst ever see the like?
Peter: He kills her in her own humour.
Re-enter PETRUCHIO
Petruchio: Thus have I politicly begun my reign,
And ‘tis my hope to end successfully.
My falcon now is sharp and passing empty.
And till she stoop she must not be full-gorg’d,
She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat;
Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not;
As with the meat, some undeserved fault
I’ll find about the making of the bed;
And here I’ll fling the pillow, there the bolster,
This way the coverlet, another way the sheets;
Ay, and amid this hurly I intend
That all is done in reverend care of her—
And, in conclusion, she shall watch all night;
And if she chance to nod I’ll rail and brawl
And with the clamour keep her still awake.
This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,
And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humour.
He that knows better how to tame a shrew,
Now let him speak; ‘tis charity to show. [Exit]

Act IV, Scene III: PETRUCHIO’S house

Enter KATHERINE and GRUMIO
Katherine: The more my wrong, the more his spite appears.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

What, did he marry me to famish me?
Beggars that come unto my father’s door
Upon entreaty have a present alms;
If not, elsewhere they meet with charity;
But I, who never knew how to entreat,
Nor never needed that I should entreat,
Am starv’d for meat, giddy for lack of sleep;
With oaths kept waking, and with brawling fed;
And that which spites me more than all these wants—
He does it under name of perfect love;
As who should say, if I should sleep or eat,
‘Twere deadly sickness or else present death.
I prithee go and get me some repast;
I care not what, so it be wholesome food.

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Group 7
My Notes
Enter PETRUCHIO, and HORTENSIO with meat
Petruchio: How fares my Kate? What, sweeting, all amort?
Hortensio: Mistress, what cheer?
Katherine: Faith, as cold as can be.
Petruchio: Pluck up thy spirits, look cheerfully upon me.
Here, love, thou seest how diligent I am,
To dress thy meat myself, and bring it thee.
I am sure, sweet Kate, this kindness merits thanks.
What, not a word? Nay, then thou lov’st it not,
And all my pains is sorted to no proof.
Here, take away this dish.
Katherine: I pray you, let it stand.
Petruchio: The poorest service is repaid with thanks;
And so shall mine, before you touch the meat.
Katherine: I thank you, sir.
Hortensio: Signior Petruchio, fie! you are to blame.
Come, Mistress Kate, I’ll bear you company.
Petruchio: [Aside] Eat it up all, Hortensio, if thou lovest me.—
Much good do it unto thy gentle heart!
Kate, eat apace. And now, my honey love,
Will we return unto thy father’s house
And revel it as bravely as the best,
With silken coats and caps, and golden rings,
With ruffs and cuffs and farthingales and things,
With scarfs and fans and double change of brav’ry.
With amber bracelets, beads, and all this knav’ry.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

What, hast thou din’d? The tailor stays thy leisure,

To deck thy body with his ruffling treasure.
[Petruchio tempts Kate with fancy clothing and accessories
and then takes it all away—claiming that it is not good enough.]
Petruchio: Well, come, my Kate; we will unto your father’s
Even in these honest mean habiliments;
Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor;
For ‘tis the mind that makes the body rich;
And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds,
So honour peereth in the meanest habit.
What, is the jay more precious than the lark
Because his feathers are more beautiful?
Or is the adder better than the eel
Because his painted skin contents the eye?
O no, good Kate; neither art thou the worse

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ASSESSMENT 2

For this poor furniture and mean array.

My Notes If thou account’st it shame, lay it on me;
And therefore frolic; we will hence forthwith
To feast and sport us at thy father’s house...

Group 8
Act IV, Scene V: A public road
Enter PETRUCHIO, KATHERINE, HORTENSIO, and SERVANTS
Petruchio: Come on, a God’s name; once more toward our father’s.
Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!
Katherine: The moon? The sun! It is not moonlight now.
Petruchio: I say it is the moon that shines so bright.
Katherine: I know it is the sun that shines so bright.
Petruchio: Now by my mother’s son, and that’s myself,
It shall be moon, or star, or what I list,
Or ere I journey to your father’s house.
Go on and fetch our horses back again.
Evermore cross’d and cross’d; nothing but cross’d!
Hortensio: Say as he says, or we shall never go.
Katherine: Forward, I pray, since we have come so far,
And be it moon, or sun, or what you please;
And if you please to call it a rush-candle,
Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me.
Petruchio: I say it is the moon.
Katherine: I know it is the moon.
Petruchio: Nay, then you lie; it is the blessed sun.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Katherine: Then, God be bless’d, it is the blessed sun;
But sun it is not, when you say it is not;
And the moon changes even as your mind.
What you will have it nam’d, even that it is,
And so it shall be so for Katherine.
Hortensio: Petruchio, go thy ways, the field is won.

Act V, Scene II: LUCENTIO’S house

Enter BAPTISTA, VINCENTIO, GREMIO, the PEDANT, LUCENTIO, BIANCA,
PETRUCHIO, KATHERINE, HORTENSIO, and WIDOW. The SERVINGMEN with
TRANIO, BIONDELLO, and GRUMIO, bringing in a banquet [after Bianca’s wedding
to Lucentio].
Baptista Minola: Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio,
I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.

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ASSESSMENT 2

Petruchio: Well, I say no; and therefore, for assurance,

Let’s each one send unto his wife, My Notes
And he whose wife is most obedient,
To come at first when he doth send for her,
Shall win the wager which we will propose.
Hortensio: Content. What’s the wager?
Lucentio: Twenty crowns.
Petruchio: Twenty crowns?
I’ll venture so much of my hawk or hound,
But twenty times so much upon my wife.
Lucentio: A hundred then.
Hortensio: Content.
Petruchio: A match! ‘tis done.
[Petruchio wins the bet: Katherine proves to be the most obedient wife.]
Lucentio: Here is a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.
Hortensio: And so it is. I wonder what it bodes.
Petruchio: Marry, peace it bodes, and love, and quiet life,
An awful rule, and right supremacy;
And, to be short, what not that’s sweet and happy.
Baptista Minola: Now fair befall thee, good Petruchio!
The wager thou hast won; and I will add
Unto their losses twenty thousand crowns;
Another dowry to another daughter,
For she is chang’d, as she had never been.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

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ASSESSMENT 2

SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Criteria

Ideas The performance The performance The performance The performance

• demonstrates a deep • demonstrates • demonstrates a • demonstrates little or
understanding of a an adequate partial or flawed no understanding of a
scene and characters understanding of a understanding of a scene and characters
• uses a variety scene and characters scene and characters • lacks physical and/or
of physical and • uses some physical • uses distracting or visual elements
visual elements and visual elements basic physical and • does not show
(facial expressions, (facial expressions, visual elements evidence of planning,
movement, props or movement, props or (facial expressions, rehearsal, and
background sounds/ background sounds/ movement, props or reflection.
images) effectively images) to convey background sounds/
• shows evidence of meaning images)
extensive planning, • shows evidence of • shows evidence
rehearsal, and sufficient planning, of ineffective or
reflection. rehearsal, and insufficient planning,
reflection. rehearsal, and
reflection.

Structure The performance The performance The performance The performance

• demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates a
strong evidence of adequate evidence of uneven or ineffective failure to collaborate
collaboration collaboration collaboration • depicts a scene that
• depicts a significant • depicts a scene with • depicts a scene with is too short
scene with a clear a beginning, middle, an unclear beginning, • lacks an introduction
beginning, middle, and end middle, and/or end and/or conclusion.
and end • provides an • provides a weak
• provides an engaging introduction and introduction and/or
introduction and conclusion. conclusion.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

conclusion.

Use of The performer The performer The performer The performer

Language • demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates • demonstrates flawed
effective oral adequate oral inadequate oral or ineffective oral
interpretation interpretation interpretation skills interpretation skills
skills, including eye skills, including eye • uses punctuation • does not recognize
contact, volume, rate, contact, volume, rate, cues (periods, punctuation cues,
inflection, tone, and inflection, tone, and commas, semi- or uses them
rhythm rhythm colons, dashes, incorrectly.
• uses punctuation • uses some exclamation
cues (periods, punctuation cues points) unevenly or
commas, semi- (periods, commas, inconsistently.
colons, dashes, semicolons, dashes,
exclamation points) exclamation points)
accurately and to inform vocal
consistently to inform delivery.
vocal delivery.

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© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Resources
 SpringBoard Learning Strategies
READING STRATEGIES
STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
Chunking the Text Breaking the text into smaller, To reduce the intimidation factor when
manageable units of sense (e.g., words, encountering long words, sentences, or
sentences, paragraphs, whole text) by whole texts; to increase comprehension
numbering, separating phrases, drawing of difficult or challenging text
boxes
Close Reading Accessing small chunks of text to To develop comprehensive
read, reread, mark, and annotate key understanding by engaging in one or
passages, word-for-word, sentence-by- more focused readings of a text
sentence, and line-by-line
Diffusing Reading a passage, noting unfamiliar To facilitate a close reading of text, the
words, discovering meaning of unfamiliar use of resources, an understanding of
words using context clues, dictionaries, synonyms, and increased comprehension
and/or thesauruses, and replacing of text
unfamiliar words with familiar ones
Double-Entry Journal Creating a two-column journal (also To assist in note-taking and organizing
called Dialectical Journal) with a student- key textual elements and responses
selected passage in one column and the noted during reading in order to generate
student’s response in the second column textual support that can be incorporated
(e.g., asking questions of the text, into a piece of writing at a later time
forming personal responses, interpreting
the text, reflecting on the process of
making meaning of the text)
Graphic Organizer Using a visual representation for the To facilitate increased comprehension
organization of information from the text and discussion
KWHL Chart Setting up discussion that allows To organize thinking, access prior
students to activate prior knowledge knowledge, and reflect on learning
by answering “What do I know?”; sets to increase comprehension and
a purpose by answering “What do I engagement
want to know?”; helps preview a task
by answering “How will I learn it?”; and
reflects on new knowledge by answering
“What have I learned?”

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Marking the Text Selecting text by highlighting, To focus reading for specific purposes,
underlining, and/or annotating for such as author’s craft, and to organize
specific components, such as main idea, information from selections; to facilitate
imagery, literary devices, and so on reexamination of a text
Metacognitive Markers Responding to text with a system of To track responses to texts and use
cueing marks where students use a ? those responses as a point of departure
for questions about the text; a ! for for talking or writing about texts
reactions related to the text; and an *
for comments ,about the text and
underline to signal key ideas
OPTIC O (Overview): Write notes on what the To analyze graphic and visual images as
visual appears to be about. forms of text
P (Parts): Zoom in on the parts of the
visual and describe any elements or
details that seem important.
T (Title): Highlight the words of the title
of the visual (if one is available).
I (Interrelationships): Use the title as
the theory and the parts of the visual
as clues to detect and specify how the
elements of the graphic are related.

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 STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
OPTIC (continued) C (Conclusion); Draw a conclusion about
the visual as a whole. What does the
visual mean? Summarize the message of
the visual in one or two sentences.
Predicting Making guesses about the text by using To help students become actively
the title and pictures and/or thinking involved, interested, and mentally
ahead about events which may occur prepared to understand ideas
based on evidence in the text
Previewing Making guesses about the text by using To gain familiarity with the text, make
the title and pictures and/or thinking connections to the text, and extend prior
ahead about events which may occur knowledge to set a purpose for reading
based on evidence in the text
QHT Expanding prior knowledge of To allow students to build on their prior
vocabulary words by marking words with knowledge of words, to provide a forum
a Q, H, or T (Q signals words students for peer teaching and learning of new
do not know; H signals words students words, and to serve as a prereading
have heard and might be able to identify; exercise to aid in comprehension
T signals words students know well
enough to teach to their peers)
Questioning the Text* Developing levels of questions about To engage more actively with texts,
The AP Vertical Teams Guide text; that is, literal, interpretive, and read with greater purpose and focus,
universal questions that prompt deeper and ultimately answer questions to
for English (109–112) thinking about a text gain greater insight into the text; helps
students to comprehend and interpret
Paraphrasing Restating in one’s own words the To encourage and facilitate
essential information expressed in a comprehension of challenging text.
text, whether it be narration, dialogue, or
informational text
RAFT Primarily used to generate new text, this To initiate reader response; to facilitate
strategy can also be used to analyze a an analysis of a text to gain focus prior to
text by examining the role of the speaker creating a new text
(R), the intended audience (A), the format
of the text (F), and the topic of the
text (T).
Rereading Encountering the same text with more To identify additional details; to clarify
than one reading. meaning and/or reinforce comprehension
of texts
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

SIFT* Analyzing a fictional text by examining To focus and facilitate an analysis of

The AP Vertical Teams Guide stylistic elements, especially symbol, a fictional text by examining the title
imagery, and figures of speech in order and text for symbolism, identifying
for English (17–20) to show how all work together to reveal images and sensory details, analyzing
tone and theme figurative language and identifying
how all these elements reveal tone and
theme
Skimming/Scanning Skimming by rapid or superficial reading To quickly form an overall impression
of a text to form an overall impression or prior to an in-depth study of a text; to
to obtain a general understanding of the answer specific questions or quickly
material; scanning focuses on key words, locate targeted information or detail in
phrases, or specific details and provides a text
speedy recognition of information
SMELL* • Sender-receiver relationship—What is To analyze a persuasive speech or essay
the sender-receiver relationship? Who by focusing on five essential questions
The AP Vertical Teams Guide are the images and language meant
for English to attract? Describe the speaker of
the text.
• Message—What is the message?
Summarize the statement made in
the text.

SpringBoard Learning Strategies 339

 STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
SMELL* (continued) • Emotional Strategies—What is the
desired effect?
• Logical Strategies—What logic
is operating? How does it (or its
absence) affect the message?
Consider the logic of the images as
well as the words.
• Language—What does the language
of the text describe? How does it
affect the meaning and effectiveness
of the writing? Consider the language
of the images as well as the words.
SOAPSTone* Analyzing text by discussing and To facilitate the analysis of specific
identifying Speaker, Occasion, elements of non-fiction literary and
Audience, Purpose, Subject, and Tone informational texts and show the
relationship among the elements to
an understanding of the whole
Summarizing Giving a brief statement of the main To facilitate comprehension and recall
points or essential information of a text
expressed in a text, whether it
be narration, dialogue, or
informational text
Think Aloud Talking through a difficult passage or To reflect on how readers make meaning
task by using a form of metacognition of challenging texts and facilitate
whereby the reader expresses how he/ comprehension
she has made sense of the text
TP-CASTT* Analyzing a poetic text by identifying To facilitate the analysis of specific
The AP Vertical Teams Guide and discussing Title, Paraphrase, elements of a literary text, especially
Connotation, Attitude, Shift, Theme, and poetry. To show how the elements work
for English (94–99) Title again together to create meaning
Visualizing Forming a picture (mentally and/or To increase reading comprehension and
literally) while reading a text promote active engagement with text
Word Maps Using a clearly defined graphic To provide a visual tool for identifying
organizer such as concept circles or and remembering multiple aspects of
word webs to identify and reinforce words and word meanings
word meanings

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

*Delineates AP strategy

WRITING STRATEGIES
STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
Adding Making conscious choices to enhance To refine and clarify the writer’s thoughts
a text by adding additional words, during revision and/or drafting
phrases, sentences, or ideas
Brainstorming Using a flexible but deliberate process of To generate ideas, concepts, or key
listing multiple ideas in a short period of words that provide a focus and/or
time without excluding any idea from the establish organization as part of the
preliminary list prewriting or revision process
Deleting Providing clarity and cohesiveness for To refine and clarify the writer’s thoughts
a text by eliminating words, phrases, during revision and/or drafting
sentences, or ideas
Drafting Composing a text in its initial form To incorporate brainstormed or initial
ideas into a written format

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 STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
Free writing Write freely without constraints in order To refine and clarify the writer’s
to capture thinking and convey the thoughts, spark new ideas, and/or
writer's purpose generate content during revision and/or
drafting
Generating Questions Clarifying and developing ideas by To clarify and develop ideas in a draft;
asking questions of the draft. May be used during drafting and as part of writer
part of self-editing or peer editing response

Graphic Organizer Organizing ideas and information To provide a visual system for organizing
visually (e.g., Venn diagrams, flowcharts, multiple ideas, details, and/or textual
cluster maps) support to be included in a piece of
writing
Looping After free writing, one section of a text To refine and clarify the writer’s
is circled to promote elaboration or the thoughts, spark new ideas, and/or
generation of new ideas for that section. generate new content during revision
This process is repeated to further and/or drafting
develop ideas from the newly generated
segments
Mapping Creating a graphic organizer that To generate ideas, concepts, or key
serves as a visual representation of the words that provide a focus and/or
organizational plan for a written text establish organization during the
prewriting, drafting, or revision process

Marking the Draft Interacting with the draft version of To encourage focused, reflective thinking
a piece of writing by highlighting, about revising drafts
underlining, color-coding, and annotating
to indicate revision ideas
Note-taking Making notes about ideas in response To assist in organizing key textual
to text or discussions; one form is the elements and responses noted during
double-entry journal in which textual reading in order to generate textual
evidence is recorded on the left side and support that can be incorporated into
personal commentary about the meaning a piece of writing at a later time. Note-
of the evidence on the other side. taking is also a reading and listening
strategy.
Outlining Using a system of numerals and letters To generate ideas, concepts, or key
in order to identify topics and supporting words that provide a focus and/or
details and ensure an appropriate establish organization prior to writing
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

balance of ideas. an initial draft and/or during the revision

process
Quickwrite Writing for a short, specific amount of To generate multiple ideas in a quick
time in response to a prompt provided fashion that could be turned into longer
pieces of writing at a later time (May
be considered as part of the drafting
process)
RAFT Generating a new text and/or To generate a new text by identifying
transforming a text by identifying and the main elements of a text during the
manipulating its component parts of prewriting and drafting stages of the
Role, Audience, Format, and Topic writing process
Rearranging Selecting components of a text and To refine and clarify the writer’s thoughts
moving them to another place within the during revision and/or drafting
text and/or modifying the order in which
the author’s ideas are presented
Self-Editing/Peer Editing Working individually or with a partner to To facilitate a collaborative approach to
examine a text closely in order to identify generating ideas for and revising writing.
areas that might need to be corrected for
grammar, punctuation, spelling

SpringBoard Learning Strategies 341

 STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
Sharing and Responding Communicating with another person or To make suggestions for improvement
a small group of peers who respond to a to the work of others and/or to receive
piece of writing as focused readers (not appropriate and relevant feedback on
necessarily as evaluators) the writer’s own work, used during the
drafting and revision process
Sketching Drawing or sketching ideas or ordering To generate and/or clarify ideas by
of ideas. Includes storyboarding, visualizing them. May be part of
visualizing prewriting

Substituting / Replacing Replacing original words or phrases in To refine and clarify the writer’s thoughts
a text with new words or phrases that during revision and/or drafting
achieve the desired effect
TWIST* Arriving at a thesis statement that To craft an interpretive thesis in response
The AP Vertical Teams Guide for incorporates the following literary to a prompt about a text
elements: tone, word choice (diction),
English 167–174 imagery, style and theme
Webbing Developing a graphic organizer that To generate ideas, concepts, or key
consists of a series of circles connected words that provide a focus and/or
with lines to indicate relationships establish organization prior to writing
among ideas an initial draft and/or during the revision
process

Writer’s Checklist Using a co-constructed checklist (that To focus on key areas of the writing
could be written on a bookmark and/or process so that the writer can effectively
displayed on the wall) in order to look revise a draft and correct mistake
for specific features of a writing text and
check for accuracy
Writing Groups A type of discussion group devoted to To facilitate a collaborative approach to
sharing and responding of student work generating ideas for and revising writing.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STRATEGIES

STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Choral Reading Reading text lines aloud in student To develop fluency; differentiate
groups and/or individually to present an between the reading of statements and
interpretation questions; practice phrasing, pacing,
and reading dialogue; show how a
character’s emotions are captured
through vocal stress and intonation
Note-taking Creating a record of information while To facilitate active listening or close
listening to a speaker or reading a text reading ; to record and organize ideas
that assist in processing information
Oral Reading Reading aloud one’s own text or the To share one’s own work or the work
texts of others (e.g., echo reading, choral of others; build fluency and increase
reading, paired readings) confidence in presenting to a group
Rehearsal Encouraging multiple practices of a piece To provide students with an opportunity
of text prior to a performance to clarify the meaning of a text prior to
a performance as they refine the use of
dramatic conventions (e.g., gestures,
vocal interpretations, facial expressions)
Role Playing Assuming the role or persona of a To develop the voice, emotions, and
character mannerisms of a character to facilitate
improved comprehension of a text

342 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES
STRATEGY DEFINITION PURPOSE
Discussion Groups Engaging in an interactive, small group To gain new understanding of or insight
discussion, often with an assigned role; into a text from multiple perspectives
to consider a topic, text or question
Think-Pair-Share Pairing with a peer to share ideas; before To construct meaning about a topic or
sharing ideas and discussion with a question; to test thinking in relation
larger group to the ideas of others; to prepare for a
discussion with a larger group
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

SpringBoard Learning Strategies 343

 Glossary / Glosario
A artifact: an object made by a human being, typically an item
that has cultural or historical significance
advertising: the use of print, graphics, or videos to persuade
artefacto: objeto hecho por un ser humano, habitualmente
people to buy a product or use a service
un objeto que tiene significación cultural o histórica
publicidad: uso de impresos, gráfica o videos para persuadir
a las personas a comprar un producto o usar un servicio atmosphere: the feeling created by a literary work or passage
atmósfera: sentimiento creado por una obra o pasaje literario
allegory: a story in which the characters, objects, or actions
have a meaning beyond the surface of the story audience: the intended readers of specific types of texts or
alegoría: cuento en el que los personajes, objetos o acciones the viewers of a program or performance
tienen un significado que va más allá de la superficie de público: lectores objetivo de tipos específicos de textos o
la historia espectadores de un programa o actuación
alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginnings of words that are close together B
aliteración: repetición de sonidos consonánticos al comienzo balanced sentence: a sentence that presents ideas of equal
de palabras que están cercanas weight in similar grammatical form to emphasize the
allusion: a reference to a well-known person, place, event, similarity or difference between the ideas
literary work, or work of art oración balanceada: oración que presenta ideas de igual peso
alusión: referencia a una persona, lugar, obra literaria u obra en forma gramatical similar para enfatizar la semejanza o
de arte muy conocidos diferencia entre las ideas

analogy: a comparison of the similarity of two things; for bibliography: a list of source materials used to prepare a
example, comparing a part to a whole or the whole to a part research paper or presentation
analogía: comparación de la semejanza de dos cosas; por bibliografía: lista de las fuentes utilizadas para preparar una
ejemplo, comparar una parte con un todo o el todo con investigación o una presentación
una parte body paragraph: a paragraph that contains a topic sentence,
analyze (literary): study the details of a work to identify supporting details and commentary, and a concluding
essential features or meaning sentence and that is usually part of a longer text
analizar (literario): estudiar los detalles de una obra para párrafo representativo: párrafo que contiene una oración
identificar características o significados esenciales principal, detalles de apoyo y comentarios, y una oración
concluyente que normalmente forma parte de un texto
anecdote: a brief, entertaining account of an incident más extenso
or event

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anécdota: breve relato entretenido de un incidente o suceso
C
annotate: write notes to explain or present ideas that help caricature: a visual or verbal representation in which
you analyze and understand a text characteristics or traits are distorted for emphasis
anotar: tomar notas para explicar o presentar las ideas que te caricatura: representación visual o verbal en la que las
ayuden a analizar y a entender un texto características o rasgos son distorsionados para dar énfasis
antonyms: words with opposite meanings cause: an initial action; an event that makes something
antónimos: palabras con significados opuestos else happen
archetype: a character, symbol, story pattern, or other causa: acción inicial; suceso que hace que otra cosa ocurra
element that is common to human experience across cultures character: a person or animal that takes part in the action of
and that occurs frequently in literature, myth, and folklore a literary work
arquetipo: personaje, símbolo, patrón de un cuento u otro personaje: persona o animal que participa en la acción de
elemento que es común a la experiencia humana a través de una obra literaria
diversas culturas y que aparece con frecuencia en literatura,
mitos y folclor characterization: the methods a writer uses to develop
characters; for example, through description, actions,
argument: facts or reasoning offered to support a position as and dialogue
being true caracterización: métodos que usa un escritor para
argumento: hechos o razonamiento entregados para apoyar desarrollar personajes; por ejemplo, a través de descripción,
una posición como verdadera acciones y diálogo

344 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 citation: giving credit to the authors of source information desires, or emotions.
cita: dar crédito a los autores de información usada conflicto: lucha entre fuerzas opuestas. En un conflicto
como fuente externo, un personaje lucha contra una fuerza externa,
como por ejemplo otro personaje o algo de la naturaleza. En
claim: a writer’s statement of a position or opinion about a
un conflicto interno, el personaje lucha contra sus propias
topic
necesidades, deseos o emociones.
afirmación: declaración de un escritor acerca de una
posición u opinión sobre un tema connotation: the suggested or implied meaning or emotion
associated with a word—beyond its literal definition
cliché: an overused expression or idea
connotación: significado o emoción sugerida o implícita que
cliché: expresión o idea usada en exceso
se asocia con una palabra—más allá de su definición literal
climax: the turning point or the high point of a story
consumer: a buyer; a person who acquires goods
clímax: punto de inflexión o momento culminante de un cuento
and services
coherence: the clear and orderly presentation of ideas in a consumidor: comprador, persona que adquiere bienes
paragraph or essay y servicios
coherencia: presentación clara y ordenada de las ideas en un
consumerism: the buying and consuming of goods and
párrafo o ensayo
products; the belief that it is good to buy and consume goods
collaborate: work together with other members of a group and services
colaborar: trabajar en conjunto con otros miembros de un consumismo: compra y consumo de bienes y productos;
grupo creencia de que es bueno comprar y consumir bienes
y servicios
comedy: an entertainment that is amusing or humorous
comedia: espectáculo que es divertido o cómico context clue: information in words and phrases surrounding
an unfamiliar word that hint at the meaning of the
commentary: explanation of the way the facts, details and/or
unfamiliar word.
examples in a paragraph or essay support the topic sentence
clave de contexto: información en las palabras y frases que
comentario: explicación de la manera en que los hechos,
rodean una palabra no conocida y que dan una pista acerca
detalles y ejemplos de un párrafo o ensayo apoyan la oración
del significado de esa palabra.
principal
contrast: to identify differences in two or more items; see
commercialism: an emphasis on gaining profits through
also, compare
advertising or sponsorship
contrastar: identificar diferencias entre dos o más elementos;
mercantilismo: énfasis en obtener utilidades por medio de la
ver también, comparar
publicidad o el auspicio
controversy: a public debate or dispute concerning a matter
communication: the process of giving or exchanging
of opinion
information
controversia: debate público o disputa sobre una cuestión
comunicación: proceso de dar o intercambiar información
sujeta a opinión
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

compare: to identify similarities in two or more items; see

copy: the actual text in an advertisement
also, contrast
texto publicitario: información actual en un anuncio
comparar: identificar semejanzas entre dos o más elementos;
publicitario
ver también, contrastar
counter-argument: reasoning or facts given in opposition to
concluding sentence: a final sentence that pulls together
an argument
the ideas in a paragraph by restating the main idea or by
contraargumento: razonamiento o hechos dados en
summarizing or commenting on the ideas in the paragraph
oposición a un argumento
oración concluyente: oración final que reúne las ideas de
un párrafo, reformulando la idea principal o resumiendo o credible: to be trusted or believed
comentando las ideas del párrafo creíble: ser confiable o creíble
conclusion: the ending of a paragraph or essay, which brings criteria: the facts, rules, or standards on which judgments
it to a close and leaves an impression with the reader are based.
conclusión: fin de un párrafo o ensayo, que lo lleva a su criterios: hechos, reglas o estándares sobre las cuales están
término y deja una impresión en el lector basadas las opiniones.
conflict: a struggle between opposing forces. In an external
conflict, a character struggles with an outside force, such
as another character or something in nature. In an internal
conflict, the character struggles with his or her own needs,

English-Spanish Glossary 345

D epílogo: sección al final de un libro u obra teatral, que
extiende o comenta el final
debate: n. a discussion involving opposing points of
view; v. to present the sides of an argument by discussing essay: a short literary composition on a single subject
opposing points ensayo: composición literaria corta acerca de un único tema
debate: s. discusión que involucra puntos de vista opuestos;
ethos: a rhetorical appeal that focuses on the character or
v. presentar los lados de un argumento discutiendo puntos
qualifications of the speaker
opuestos
ethos: recurso retórico centrado en el carácter o las
definition: the process of making clear the meaning or nature capacidades del orador
of something
euphemism: an inoffensive expression that is used in place of
definición: proceso de aclarar el significado o naturaleza
one that is considered harsh or blunt
de algo
eufemismo: expresión inofensiva usada en lugar de una
denotation: the exact, literal meaning of a word considerada cruel o ruda
denotación: significado exacto y literal de una palabra
evaluate: to examine and judge carefully to determine the
detail: in writing, evidence (facts, statistics, examples) that value of something, such as an idea, a comment, or a source
supports the topic sentence evaluar: estudiar y juzgar cuidadosamente para determinar el
detalle: en la escritura, evidencia (hechos, estadística, valor de algo, tal como una idea, un comentario, o una fuente
ejemplos) que apoya la oracón principal
evidence: the information that supports or proves an idea or
dialogue: conversation between characters claim; forms of evidence include facts, statistics (numerical
diálogo: conversación entre personajes facts), expert opinions, examples, and anecdotes; see also,
anecdotal, empirical, and logical evidence
diction: a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words
evidencia: información que apoya o prueba una idea o
dicción: selección de palabras por parte del escritor u orador
afirmación; algunas formas de evidencia incluyen hechos,
dissolve: the slow fading away of one image in a film as estadísticas (datos numéricos), opiniones de expertos,
another fades in to take its place ejemplos y anécdotas; ver también evidencia anecdótica,
desvanecimiento: desaparición lenta de una imagen en una empírica y lógica
película a medida que otra aparece progresivamente para
exposition: (1) a type of writing that explains, clarifies,
tomar su lugar
defines, or gives information; (2) events that give a reader
drama: a genre of literature that is intended to be performed background information needed to understand a story
before an audience; a play exposición: (1) tipo de escrito que explica, clarifica, define
drama: género literario destinado a ser representado ante un o entrega información; (2) sucesos que entregan al lector los
público; obra teatral antecedentes necesarios para comprender un cuento
dystopia: an imagined place or state in which the condition expository essay: an essay that makes an assertion
of life is imperfect or bad and explains it with details, reasons, textual evidence,

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

distopía: lugar o estado imaginario en el que las condiciones and commentary
de vida son imperfectas o malas ensayo expositivo: ensayo que hace una afirmación y la
explica con detalles, razones, evidencia textual y comentarios
E expository paragraph: a paragraph that makes an assertion
editorial: A short essay in which a publication, or someone and supports it with details and commentary
speaking for a publication, expresses an opinion or takes a párrafo expositivo: párrafo que hace una afirmación y la
stand on an issue apoya con detalles y comentarios
editorial: ensayo corto en el que una publicación, o alguien
que representa una publicación, expresa una opinión o toma
partido acerca de un tema
F
fable: a brief story that teaches a lesson or moral, usually
effect: the result of an event or action through animal characters that take on human qualities
efecto: resultado de un suceso o acción fábula: cuento breve que enseña una lección o moraleja,
epic: a long narrative poem about the deeds of heroes or gods normalmente por medio de personajes animales que asumen
épica: poema narrativo largo acerca de las proezas de héroes cualidades humanas
o dioses fact: a statement that can be proven
epilogue: a section at the end of a book or play that extends hecho: enunciado que puede demostrarse
or comments on the ending

346 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 fairy tale: a story that involves fantasy elements such as free verse: a kind of poetry that does not follow any regular
witches, goblins, and elves. These stories often involve princes pattern, rhythm, or rhyme
and princesses and today are generally told to entertain verso libre: tipo de poesía que no sigue ningún patrón, ritmo
children. o rima regular
cuento de hadas: cuento que involucra elementos fantásticos
como brujas, duendes y elfos. A menudo, estos cuentos
involucran a príncipes y princesas y hoy se cuentan
G
genre: a category or type of literature, such as short story, folk
generalmente para entretener a los niños.
tale, poem, novel, play
falling action: events after the climax of a story but before género: categoría o tipo de literatura, como el cuento corto,
the resolution cuento folclórico, poema, novela, obra teatral
acción descendente: sucesos posteriores al clímax de un
global revision: the process of deeply revising a text to
cuento, pero antes de la resolución
improve organization, development of ideas, focus, and voice
fantasy: a story based on things that could not happen in revisión global: proceso de revisar en profundidad un texto
real life para mejorar su organización, desarrollo de ideas, enfoque
fantasía: cuento basado en cosas que no podrían ocurrir en y voz
la vida real
graphic novel: a narrative told through visuals and captions
figurative language: imaginative language that is not meant novela gráfica: narrativa que se cuenta por medio de efectos
to be interpreted literally visuales y leyendas
lenguaje figurativo: lenguaje imaginativo que no pretende
ser interpretado literalmente
H
flashback: a sudden and vivid memory of an event in the headline: a short piece of text at the top of an article,
past; also, an interruption in the sequence of events in the usually in larger type, designed to be the first words the
plot of a story to relate events that occurred in the past audience reads
narración retrospectiva: recuerdo repentino y vívido de un titular: trozo corto de texto en la parte superior de un
suceso del pasado; además, interrupción en la secuencia de artículo, habitualmente en letra más grande, diseñado para
los sucesos del argumento de un cuento para relatar sucesos ser las primeras palabras que el público lea
ocurridos en el pasado
humor: the quality of being comical or amusing
fluency: the ability to use language clearly and easily humor: cualidad de ser cómico o divertido
fluidez: capacidad de usar el lenguaje fácilmente y de
manera clara hook: n. a compelling idea or statement designed to get
readers’ attention in an introduction
folk literature: the traditional literature of a culture, gancho: n. idea o afirmación atractiva diseñada para captar la
consisting of a variety of myths and folk tales atención del lector en una introducción
literatura folclórica: literatura tradicional de una cultura,
consistente en una variedad de mitos y cuentos folclóricos hyperbole: extreme exaggeration used for emphasis, often
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

used for comic effect

folklore: the stories, traditions, sayings, and customs of a hypérbole: exageración extrema usada para dar énfasis,
culture or a society habitualmente usada para dar efecto cómico
folclor: historias, tradiciones, dichos y costumbres de una
cultura o sociedad
I
folk tale: an anonymous traditional story passed on orally iamb: a metrical foot that consists of an unstressed syllable
from one generation to another followed by a stressed syllable
cuento folclórico: cuento tradicional anónimo pasada yambo: pie métrico que consta de una sílaba átona seguida
oralmente de generación en generación de una sílaba tónica
foreshadowing: clues or hints signaling events that will occur iambic pentameter: a rhythmic pattern of five feet (or units)
later in the plot of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
presagio: claves o pistas que señalan sucesos que ocurrirán pentámetro yámbico: patrón rítmico de cinco pies (o
mas adelante en el argumento unidades) de una sílaba átona seguida de una sílaba tónica
formal style: a style of writing or speaking that is appropriate idiom: a figure of speech that cannot be defined literally
for formal communication such as in academics or business expresión idiomatica: figura del discurso que no puede
estilo formal: estilo de escribir o hablar adecuado para la definirse literalmente
comunicación formal como la académica o comercial

English-Spanish Glossary 347

image: a picture, drawing, photograph, illustration, chart, or limerick: a light, humorous, nonsensical verse of few lines,
other graphic that is designed to affect the audience in some usually with a rhyme scheme of a-a-b-b-a
purposeful way quintilla: verso liviano, humorístico, disparatado y de pocas
imagen: pintura, dibujo, fotografía, ilustración, cuadro u otra líneas, normalmente con un esquema a-a-b-b-a
gráfica diseñada para producir algún efecto intencional sobre
listening: the process of receiving a message and making
el público
meaning of it from verbal and nonverbal cues
imagery: descriptive or figurative language used to create escuchar: proceso de recibir el mensaje y comprender su
word pictures; imagery is created by details that appeal to one significado a partir de claves verbales y no verbales
or more of the five senses
literary analysis: the process of examining closely and
imaginería: lenguaje descriptivo o figurativo utilizado para
commenting on the elements of a literary work
crear imágenes verbales; la imaginería es creada por detalles
análisis literario: proceso de examinar atentamente y
que apelan a uno o más de los cinco sentidos
comentar los elementos de una obra literaria
improvise: to respond or perform on the spur of the moment
revisión local: revisar un texto a nivel de palabras o
improvisar: reaccionar o representar impulsivamente
de oraciones
incident: a distinct piece of action as in an episode in a story local revision: revising a text on a word or sentence level
or a play. More than one incident may make up an event.
logo: a unique design symbol used to identify a
incidente: trozo de acción distintivo como un episodio de
company visually
un cuento o de una obra teatral. Más de un incidente puede
logotipo: símbolo único de diseño, utilizado para identificar
conformar un suceso.
visualmente una empresa
inference: a logical guess or conclusion based on observation,
logos: a rhetorical appeal to reason or logic through statistics,
prior experience, or textual evidence
facts, and reasonable examples
inferencia: conjetura o conclusión lógica basada en la
logos: apelación retórica a la razón o la lógica por medio de
observación, experiencias anteriores o evidencia textual
estadísticas, hechos y ejemplos razonables
inflection: the emphasis a speaker places on words through
change in pitch or volume
inflexión: énfasis que pone un orador en las palabras por
M
media: the various means of mass communication, such as
medio del cambio de tono o volumen
radio, television, newspapers, and magazines
interpretation: a writer’s or artist’s representation of the medios de comunicación: los diversos medios de
meaning of a story or idea comunicación masiva, como radio, televisión, periódicos
interpretación: representación que hace un escritor o artista y revistas
del significado de un cuento o idea
media channel: a type of media, such as television
interview: a meeting between two people in which one, or newspaper
usually a reporter, asks the other questions to get that person’s canal mediático: tipo de medios de comunicación, como

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

views on a subject televisión o periódicos
entrevista: reunión entre dos personas, en la que una,
metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things in which
normalmente un reportero, hace preguntas a la otra para
one thing becomes another
conocer sus opiniones acerca de un tema
metáfora: comparación entre dos cosas diferentes en la que
introduction: the opening paragraph of an essay, which must una cosa se convierte en otra
get the reader’s attention and indicate the topic
monologue: a speech or written expression of thoughts by
introducción: párrafo inicial de un ensayo, que debe captar
a character
la atención del lector e indicar el tema
monólogo: discurso o expresión escrita de pensamientos por
parte de un personaje
L mood: the overall emotional quality of a work, which is created
legend: a traditional story believed to be based on actual
by the author’s language and tone and the subject matter
people and events. Legends, which typically celebrate heroic
carácter: la calidad emocional general de una obra, que es
individuals or significant achievements, tend to express the
creada por el lenguaje y tono del autor y por el tema
values of a culture.
leyenda: cuento tradicional que se considera basado en motif: a recurring element, image, or idea in a work
personas y sucesos reales. Las leyendas, que típicamente of literature
celebran a individuos heroicos o logros importantes, tienden motivo: elemento, imagen o idea recurrente en una
a expresar los valores de una cultura. obra literaria

348 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 multimedia: the use of several media (for example, print, onomatopoeia: the use of words that imitate the sounds of
film, audio, and video) to communicate ideas what they describe
multimedia: uso de varios medios de comunicación (por onomatopeya: el uso de palabras que imitan los sonidos de lo
ejemplo: impresos, cine, audio y video) para comunicar ideas que describen
multiple intelligences: the variety of learning styles that one-liner: a short joke or witticism expressed in a
everyone has in varying degrees. In each individual, different single sentence.
intelligences predominate. agudeza: chiste u comentario ingenioso que se expresa en
inteligencias múltiples: diversidad de estilos de aprendizaje una sola oración.
que todos tienen en diversos grados. En cada individuo
opinion: a perspective that can be debated
predominan diferentes inteligencias.
opinión: perspectiva que es debatible
myth: a traditional story that explains the actions of gods or
oral interpretation: reading aloud a literary text
heroes or the origins of the elements of nature
with expression
mito: cuento tradicional que explica las acciones de dioses o
interpretación oral: leer en voz alta un texto literario
héroes o los orígenes de los elementos de la naturaleza
con expresión
oxymoron: a figure of speech in which the words seem to
N contradict each other; for example, “jumbo shrimp”
narrative: a type of writing that tells a story or describes a oxímoron: figura del discurso en la que las palabras parecen
sequence of events in an incident contradecirse mutuamente; por ejemplo, “audaz cobardía”
narrativa: tipo de escritura que cuenta un cuento o describe
una secuencia de sucesos de un incidente
narrative poem: a story told in verse
P
pantomime: a form of acting without words, in which
poema narrativo: historia contada en verso
motions, gestures, and expressions convey emotions
news article: an article in a news publication that objectively or situations
presents both sides of an issue pantomima: forma de actuación sin palabras, en la que los
artículo noticioso: artículo de una publicación noticiosa que movimientos, gestos y expresiones transmiten emociones
presenta objetivamente ambos lados de un asunto o situationes
nonprint text: a text, such as film or graphics, that paraphrase: to restate in one’s own words
communicates ideas without print parafrasear: reformular en nuestras propias palabras
texto no impreso: texto, como una película o gráfica, que
parody: a humorous imitation of a literary work
comunica ideas sin imprimir
parodia: imitación humorística de una obra literaria
nonverbal communication: gestures, facial expressions, and
pathos: a rhetorical appeal to the reader’s or listener’s senses
inflection that form unspoken communication
or emotions through connotative language and imagery
comunicación no verbal: gestos, expresiones faciales e
pathos: apelación retórica a los sentidos o emociones del
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inflexión que forman la comunicación no hablada

lector u oyente por medio de un lenguaje connotativo
novel: a type of literary genre that tells a fictional story y figurado
novela: tipo de género literario que cuenta una
performance: presenting or staging a play
historia ficticia
actuación: presentar o poner en escena una obra teatral
persona: the voice or character speaking or narrating a story
O persona: voz o personaje que habla o narra una historia
objective: supported by facts and not influenced by
personal opinion personal letter: a written communication between friends,
objetivo: apoyado por hechos y no influenciado por la relatives, or acquaintances that shares news, thoughts, or
opinión personal feelings
carta personal: comunicación escrita entre amigos,
objective camera view: in film, when the camera takes a parientes o conocidos, que comparte noticias, pensamientos
neutral point of view o sentimientos
visión objetiva de la cámara: en el cine, cuando la cámara
toma un punto de vista neutro personal narrative: a piece of writing that describes an
incident and includes a personal response to and reflection
omniscient: a third-person point of view in which the on the incident
narrator is all-knowing narrativa personal: texto escrito que describe un incidente
omnisciente: punto de vista de una tercera persona, en la que e incluye una reacción personal ante el incidente y una
el narador lo sabe todo reflexión acerca de él
English-Spanish Glossary 349
personification: a kind of metaphor that gives objects or prose: the ordinary form of written language, using sentences
abstract ideas human characteristics and paragraphs; writing that is not poetry, drama, or song
personificación: tipo de metáfora que da características prosa: forma común del lenguaje escrito, usando oraciones y
humanas a los objetos o ideas abstractas párrafos; escritura que no es poesía, drama ni canción
perspective: the way a specific character views a situation or purpose: the reason for writing; what the writer hopes
other characters to accomplish
perspectiva: manera en que un personaje específico visualiza propósito: razón para escribir; lo que el escritor espera lograr
una situación o a otros personajes
persuasion: the act or skill of causing someone to do or Q
believe something quatrain: a four-line stanza in poetry
persuasión: acto o destreza de hacer que alguien haga o cuarteta: en poesía, estrofa de cuatro versos
crea algo
persuasive essay: an essay that attempts to convince the R
reader of to take an action or believe an idea rate: the speed at which a speaker delivers words
ensayo persuasivo: ensayo que intenta convencer al lector de rapidez: velocidad a la que el orador pronuncia las palabras
que realice una acción o crea una idea
reasons: the points that explain why the author is making a
phrasing: dividing a speech into smaller parts, adding pauses certain claim
for emphasis razones: los puntos que explican por qué un autor propone
frasear: dividir un discurso en partes más pequeñas, cierta afirmacón
añadiendo pausas para dar énfasis
reflection: a kind of thinking and writing which seriously
pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound, particularly the explores the significance of an experience, idea, or
voice in speaking observation
tono: altura de un sonido, especialmente de la voz al hablar reflexión: tipo de pensamiento y escritura que explora
plagiarism: taking and using as your own the words and seriamente la importancia de una experiencia, idea
ideas of another u observación
plagio: tomar y usar como propias las palabras e ideas de otro reflective essay: an essay in which the writer explores the
plot: the sequence of related events that make up a story significance of an experience or observation
or novel ensayo reflexivo: ensayo en que el autor explora la
trama: secuencia de sucesos relacionados, que conforman un importancia de una experiencia u observación
cuento o novela refrain: a regularly repeated word, phrase, line, or group of
pun: the humorous use of a word or words to suggest another lines in a poem or song
word with the same sound or a different meaning estribillo: palabra, frase, verso o grupo de versos de un
retruécano: uso humorístico de una o varias palabras poema o canción que se repite con regularidad

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

para sugerir otra palabra que tiene el mismo sonido o un relevant: closely connected to the matter at hand (for
significado diferente example, evidence supporting a claim)
point of view: the perspective from which a story is told. In relevante: relacionado estrechamente con el asunto
first-person point of view, the teller is a character in the story en cuestión (por ejemplo, la evidencia que apoya una
telling what he or she sees or knows. In third-person point of afirmación)
view, the narrator is someone outside of the story. repetition: the use of the same words or structure over again
punto de vista: perspectiva desde la cual se cuenta una repetición: uso de las mismas palabras o estructura una
historia. En el punto de vista de la primera persona, el relator y otra vez
es un personaje del cuento que narra lo que ve o sabe. En el
punto de vista de la tercera persona, el narrador es alguien research: (v.) the process of locating information from
que está fuera del cuento. a variety of sources; (n.) the information found from
investigating a variety of sources
prediction: a logical guess or assumption about something investigar: (v.) proceso de buscar información en una
that has not yet happened variedad de fuentes; también, investigación (n.) información
predicción: conjetura lógica o suposición acerca de algo que que se halla al investigar una variedad de fuentes
aún no ha ocurrido
resolution: the outcome of the conflict of a story, when loose
presentation: delivery of a formal reading, talk, or performance ends are wrapped up
presentación: entrega de una lectura, charla o representación resolución: resultado del conflicto de un cuento, cuando se
formal atan los cabos sueltos

350 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 revision: a process of evaluating a written piece to improve slogan: a catchphrase that evokes a particular feeling about a
coherence and use of language; see also, local revision, company and its product
global revision eslogan: frase o consigna publicitaria que evoca un
revisión: proceso de evaluar un texto escrito para mejorar la sentimiento en particular acerca de una empresa y
coherencia y el uso del lenguaje; ver también, revisión local, su producto
revisión global
source: a place from which information comes or is obtained
rhetorical appeals: the use of emotional, ethical, and logical fuente: lugar de donde surge o se obtiene la información
arguments to persuade in writing or speaking
speaker: the voice that communicates with the reader
recursos retóricos: uso de argumentos emotivos, éticos y
of a poem
lógicos para persuadir al escribir o hablar
hablante: la voz que se comunica con el lector de un poema
rhetorical question: a question asked to emphasize a point or
speaking: the process of sharing information, ideas, and
create an effect; no answer is expected
emotions using verbal and nonverbal means communication
pregunta retórica: pregunta que se hace para enfatizar un
hablar: proceso de compartir información, ideas y emociones
punto o crear un efecto; no se espera una respuesta
usando medios de comunicación verbales y no verbales
rhyme: the repetition of sounds at the ends of words
stanza: a group of lines, usually similar in length and pattern,
rima: repetición de sonidos al final de las palabras
that form a unit within a poem
rhyme scheme: a consistent pattern of end rhyme throughout estrofa: grupo de versos, normalmente similares en longitud
a poem y patrón, que forman una unidad dentro de un poema
esquema de la rima: patrón consistente de una rima final a lo
stereotype: a fixed, oversimplified image of a person, group,
largo de un poema
or idea; something conforming to that image
rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in estereotipo: imagen fija y demasiado simplificada de una
spoken or written language, especially in poetry persona, grupo o idea; algo que cumple esa imagen
ritmo: patrón de sílabas acentuadas y no acentuadas en
subjective: influenced by personal opinions or ideas
lenguaje hablado o escrito, especialmente en poesía
subjectivo: influenciado por opiniones o ideas personales
rising action: major events that develop the plot of a story
subjective camera view: in film, when the camera seems to
and lead to the climax
show the events through a character’s eyes
acción ascendente: sucesos importantes que desarrollan la
visión subjetiva de la cámara: en el cine, cuando la
trama de un cuento y conducen al clímax
cámara parece mostrar los sucesos a través de los ojos de
un personaje
S subplot: a secondary plot that occurs along with a main plot
science fiction: a genre in which the imaginary elements of trama secundaria: argumento secundario que ocurre
the story could be scientifically possible conjuntamente con un argumento principal
ciencia ficción: género en que los elementos imaginarios del
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

cuento podrían ser científicamente posibles sufficient: adequate for the purpose of supporting a claim or
reason.
sensory details: words or information that appeal to the suficiente: adecuado para cumplir con el propósito de apoyar
five senses una afirmación o razón
detalles sensoriales: palabras o información que apelan a los
cinco sentidos summarize: to briefly restate the main ideas of a piece
of writing
sequence of events: the order in which events happen resumir: reformular brevemente las ideas principales de un
secuencia de los sucesos: orden en que ocurren los sucesos texto escrito
setting: the time and the place in which a narrative occurs supporting details: in writing, evidence (facts, statistics,
ambiente: tiempo y lugar en que ocurre un relato examples) that supports the topic sentence
short story: a work of fiction that presents a sequence of detalles de apoyo: en la escritura, evidencia (hechos,
events, or plot, that deals with a conflict estadísticas ejemplos) que apoya la oracon principal
cuento corto: obra de ficción que presenta una secuencia de symbol: an object, a person, or a place that stands for
sucesos, o trama, que tratan de un conflicto something else
simile: a comparison between two unlike things, using the símbolo: objeto, persona o lugar que representa otra cosa
words like or as symbolism: the use of symbols
símil: comparación entre dos cosas diferentes usando las simbolismo: el uso de símbolos
palabras como o tan

English-Spanish Glossary 351

synonyms: words with similar meanings transitions: words or phrases that connect ideas, details, or
sinónimos: palabras con significados semejantes events in writing
transiciones: palabras o frases que conectan ideas, detalles o
synthesize: to combine elements from different sources to
sucesos de un escrito
create, express, or support a new idea
sintetizar: combinar elementos de diferentes fuentes para TV news story: a report on a news program about a
crear, expresar o apoyar una idea nueva specific event
documental de televisión: reportaje en un programa
noticioso acerca de un suceso específico
T
tableau: a purposeful arrangement of characters frozen as if
in a painting or a photograph U
cuadro: disposición intencional de personajes que utopia: an ideal or perfect place
permanecen inmóviles como en una pintura o foto utopía: lugar ideal o perfecto
talking points: important points or concepts to be included
in a presentation V
puntos centrales: puntos o conceptos importantes a incluirse verse: a unit of poetry, such as a line or a stanza
en una presentación verso: unidad de la poesía, como un verso o una estrofa
tall tale: a highly exaggerated and often humorous story voice: a writer’s distinctive use of language
about folk heroes in local settings voz: uso distintivo del lenguaje por parte de un escritor
cuento increíble: cuento muy exagerado y normalmente
humorístico acerca de héroes folclóricos en ambientes locales
voice-over: the voice of an unseen character in film
target audience: the specific group of people that advertisers
expressing his or her thoughts
aim to persuade to buy
público objetivo: grupo específico de personas a quienes los voz en off: voz de un personaje de una película, que no se ve
publicistas desean persuadir de comprar pero que expresa sus pensamientos
tempo: the speed or rate of speaking volume: the degree of loudness of a speaker’s voice or
ritmo: velocidad o rapidez al hablar other sound
volumen: grado de intensidad sonora de la voz de un orador
textual evidence: quotations, summaries, or paraphrases
o de otro sonido
from text passages to support a position
evidencia textual: citas, resúmenes o paráfrasis de pasajes de
texto para apoyar una position W
theme: the central idea, message, or purpose of a juego de palabras: intercambio verbal ingenioso u ocurrente
literary work o un juego con palabras
tema: idea, mensaje o propósito central de una obra literaria wordplay: a witty or clever verbal exchange or a play

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

on words
thesis statement: a sentence, in the introduction of an essay,
that states the writer’s position or opinion on the topic of
the essay
enunciado de tesis: oración, en la introducción de un ensayo,
que plantea el punto de vista u opinión del autor acerca del
tema del ensayo
tone: a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject
tono: actitud de un escritor u orador hacia un tema
topic sentence: a sentence that states the main idea of a
paragraph; in an essay, it also makes a point that supports the
thesis statement
oración principal: oración que plantea la idea principal de
un párrafo; en un ensayo, también plantea un punto que
apoya el enunciado de tesis

352 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 © 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.
Web Organizer

Graphic Organizers 353

 Word Map

Definition Visual

Academic
Vocabulary
Word

Example Example

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Example

354 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Verbal & Visual Word Association

Definition in Your Own Words Important Elements

Academic
Visual Representation Vocabulary Personal Association
Word
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Graphic Organizers 355

 Academic Vocabulary Tree

Academic
Vocabulary
Word

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

356 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Editor’s / Writer’s Checklist
Organizational Elements
Does your title express the topic and engage the reader?

Do you have an engaging hook or lead to open your essay?

Do you end your introductory paragraph with a thesis statement that states an opinion on a
topic and suggests an organization?
Do you have topic sentences that relate to the thesis statement?

Do your body paragraphs contain detail and commentary to support your topic sentences?

Do you include transitions to link ideas?

Do your body paragraphs contain concluding sentences that also act as transitional
statements to the next paragraph?
Have you ended your essay with a strong conclusion that comments on the significance of
your thesis ideas?

Sentence Elements
Have you revised to make sure all sentences are complete sentences?

Do your sentences contain vivid verbs and descriptive adjectives when appropriate?

Is the verb tense of your writing consistent? Do the subject and verb agree?

Is pronoun use appropriate and consistent?

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Is parallel structure used to advantage and when appropriate?

Do you vary sentence beginnings? Have you started sentences with a subordinate clause?

Are your sentence types (simple, compound, complex) and lengths varied for interest and
emphasis?
Have you tried to include figurative and sensory language for effect?

Have you used appositives when appropriate?

Have you checked punctuation use for correctness, especially for appositives, complex
sentences and parallel structure?
Have you incorporated and punctuated quoted material correctly?

Graphic Organizers 357

 Double-Entry Journal Graphic Organizer
Passage from Text Page # Personal Response/Commentary

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

358 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Double-Entry Journal Graphic Organizer
Passage from Text Page # Personal Response/Commentary
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Graphic Organizers 359

 Venn Diagram

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

360 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Index of Skills
Literary Skills Fairy tale, 130 Poetry, 5
Fiction, 11, 49, 97 free verse, 284, 285
Alliteration, 284
Figurative language, 47, 58, 59, iambic pentameter, 253, 299
Audience, 218
64, 67, 69, 78, 84, 85, 111, 131, rhyme scheme (pattern), 5
Author’s purpose, 80, 110, 111,
141, 255 273, 285
186, 218
Flashback, 80 Point of view, 6, 7, 19, 23, 27, 29,
Autobiography, 13, 129
Foreshadowing, 63 265, 266, 298
Biography, 129
Hyperbole, 255 first person, 6, 12, 17, 21, 40,
Cause and effect, 16, 36
Images/imagery, 17, 31, 111, 142 53, 76
Character(s), 10, 11, 12, 25, 30, 35,
Interpreting/interpretation, 5, third-person, 6, 53, 76
40, 47, 48, 50, 54, 56, 63, 64, 65,
60, 82, 98, 106, 124, 137, 157, Prose, 5
85, 90, 97, 101, 102, 113, 114,
282, 299 Pun, 255
117, 125, 264, 281, 290, 291,
Limerick, 273, 284 Reflection, 13, 15
298, 300
Literary analysis, 106, 116 Response, 13, 23
analysis of, 282, 298, 301
Literary Terms, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, Rhetorical devices, 255, 256,
main, 79, 83, 115, 281
17, 26, 28, 29, 49, 53, 54, 58, 63, 294, 299
Characterization, 11, 17, 22, 25, 37,
79, 88, 90, 92, 95, 97, 103, 105, parallel structure, 255
40, 60, 70, 72, 84, 100, 101, 110,
106, 127, 131, 136, 139, 142, 146, repetition, 255
269, 293
160, 162, 166, 188, 211, 217, 238, rhetorical question, 255
actions, 17, 22, 23, 37, 61, 83, 100,
240, 248, 250, 253, 259, 262, 270, Rhyme, 5, 275, 284, 285
282, 298
273, 275, 276, 283, 300 Rhythm, 253, 273, 284, 285
appearance, 17, 22, 37, 61, 83,
Metaphor, 28, 58, 59, 112, 255, 256 Scene, 11, 12, 53, 292, 293, 298, 299,
100, 282, 298
Mood, 104 300, 301
words, 17, 22, 23, 37, 61, 83, 100,
Myth, 64 Science fiction, 79
282, 298
Narrative, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 21, 25, Sensory language, 29, 31, 44, 67,
Comedy, 291
26, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 71, 131
Conflict, 11, 12, 25, 30, 35, 40, 47,
40, 43, 49, 53, 92, 106 Setting, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 25, 29, 30,
49, 50, 54, 55, 56, 63, 64, 65, 67,
personal, 4, 13, 26, 33, 35, 49 35, 40, 48, 50, 54, 55, 60, 63, 64,
69, 78, 84, 85, 90, 97, 115, 125,
Narrator, 6, 29, 35, 39, 44 65, 70, 79, 84, 90, 101, 105, 113,
264, 265, 269, 275, 281, 290, 292,
Novel, 97, 103 114, 117, 125, 290, 300
293, 300
Oral interpretation, 273, 273 Short story, 97
external, 11, 52, 54, 55, 66, 68, 115
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Pacing, 21, 30 Simile, 26, 27, 29, 58, 59, 112, 255
internal, 11, 52, 54, 55, 66, 68, 115
Personification, 58, 59, 112, 255 Speaker, 7, 191, 218
Connotation, 128, 225, 264, 281
Perspective, 22, 23, 27 Stanza, 5, 131
Context, 30, 64
Plot, 22, 47, 48, 54, 56, 57, 60, 70, Structure, 264, 269, 284
Details, 19, 29, 79, 100, 104,
84, 85, 103, 113, 114, 125, 264, Style, 20, 191
269, 281
265, 269, 275, 281, 290 Subplot, 90, 103, 125
Dialogue, 11, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29,
climax, 47, 54, 69, 82, 84, 85 Symbols/symbolism, 33
48, 64, 293
exposition, 47, 54, 63, 64, 65, 69, Syntax, 252, 254, 256, 294, 299
Diction (word choice), 17, 29, 110,
79, 82, 85 Theme, 53, 56, 68, 70, 78, 82, 114,
111, 117, 225, 252, 254, 256, 264,
falling action, 54, 82 115, 125, 132, 188, 264, 269, 275,
281, 294, 299
incident, 11, 13, 14, 21, 23, 29, 34, 281, 298, 299, 300
Drama, 276
36, 40, 53, 67, 101, Theme statement, 78
features of, 294
102, 117 Tone, 110, 191, 218, 264, 265, 269,
implied stage action in, 254
resolution, 47, 54, 78, 82, 85, 281 273, 284
Editorial, 166
rising action, 54, 69, 78, 82 Tragedy, 291
Effect, 9, 17, 27, 255, 283
sequence of events, 11, 12, 12, 29, Visual prompt, 1, 87, 159, 237
Essential questions, 4, 33, 47, 90,
32, 43, 49, 84 Voice, 110
109, 127, 162, 208, 211, 240, 262
Plot diagram, 56, 57, 69, 85

Index of Skills 361

Reading Skills Rereading, 38, 39, 64, 117, 145, Diction (word choice), 9, 25, 35, 40,
172, 191, 195, 220, 263, 264, 281, 84, 189, 225, 227, 235, 269
Annotating the text, 215, 252,
284, 293 Double-entry journal, 98, 99, 120,
293, 299
Scanning, 100, 110, 111, 172, 152, 249
Anticipation guide, 165
198, 214 Drafting, 40, 45, 83, 85, 125, 135,
Chunking the text, 145, 153, 173
Sketching, 60, 82, 105, 117, 142, 137, 138, 157, 215, 216, 228, 235
Close reading, 13, 26, 28, 110, 120,
230, 299 Editing, 45, 85, 125, 157, 235
281, 298
Skimming, 63, 100, 110, 111, Embedded Assessment, 45, 85, 125,
Compare and contrast, 101, 115,
172, 225 157, 209, 235, 260, 301
133, 201, 281, 289, 300
Story board, 82 unpacking, 4, 47, 90, 127, 162,
Connecting to the text, 116, 124
Summarizing, 5, 15, 19, 33, 39, 52, 212, 240, 263
text-to-self, 116
67, 114, 120, 124, 130, 142, 145, Evaluating writing, 45, 85, 125, 157,
text-to text, 116
150, 153, 195, 212, 224, 244, 254, 235, 260
text-to-world, 116
264, 265, 281, 284, 293, 299 Evidence, 138, 167, 170, 172, 173,
Context clues, 153, 172
Venn diagram, 95, 289 176, 177, 180, 181, 182, 191, 195,
Graphics
Visualizing, 60, 115, 145 201, 207, 208, 209, 215, 217, 218,
reading/interpreting, 192, 195, 197
Word map, 7, 9, 163 220, 224, 228, 229, 231, 235, 243
types of, 196
relevant, 220, 243
Independent Reading Link, 10, 12,
16, 25, 31, 43, 48, 82, 84, 129, 145, Writing Skills sufficient, 220
Expository essay, 125, 127, 132, 134,
151, 162, 165, 191, 213, 224, 227, Adding, 41
140, 157
240, 263, 272, 275, 289, 299 AQQS strategy, 37, 38, 44
Expository writing, 92, 95, 101, 105,
Inferring, 23, 28, 61, 66, 102, 192, Argument, 162, 163, 165, 169, 172,
114, 124, 125, 127, 135, 137, 148,
272, 298 195, 201, 202, 209, 216
150, 156, 248, 250, 259, 269, 300
KWHL chart, 151, 206 Argumentative writing, 212, 214,
Feedback, 85, 108, 125, 157, 231,
Levels of questions, 106, 107 222, 225, 228, 231, 233, 234, 235
233, 235
Making meaning, 70, 98, 153, 270, Audience, 47, 188, 191, 195, 217,
Figurative language, 112
284, 294, 301 228, 229, 235, 250
Formal style, 189
Marking the text, 13, 17, 21, 27, 29, Bibliography, 186, 247, 250, 260
Frame poem, 9, 129
31, 42, 43, 58, 60, 64, 70, 78, 80, Brainstorming, 7, 35, 41, 45, 94, 103,
Freewriting, 180
92, 112, 117, 130, 131, 132, 135, 128, 151, 163, 172, 176, 215, 241,
Hook, 26, 37, 44, 132, 136, 228
142, 145, 146, 149, 153, 162, 166, 247, 249, 264, 270, 282, 283
Incident-response-reflection
168, 171, 173, 177, 189, 193, 214, Call to action, 229
organization, 13, 16, 25, 29, 40,
217, 241, 252, 256, 264, 276, 281, Claim, 164, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171,
44, 45

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290, 294 176, 179, 181, 191, 195, 201, 207,
Introduction, 45, 132, 136, 137, 139,
Metacognitive markers, 198, 202 208, 209, 215, 217, 218, 220, 224,
228, 260
Note-taking, 91, 101, 113, 117, 149, 228, 231, 243
Looping, 226, 227
214, 244, 300 Coherence, 40, 230, 232, 233
Marking the text, 59, 96, 140, 224,
Paraphrase, 164, 173, 244, 263, 293 Commentary, 35, 92, 95, 98, 101,
226, 227, 228, 231
Predicting, 17, 79, 102, 116, 117, 105, 114, 118, 124, 135, 138, 141,
Memory map, 34, 35, 36, 40, 45
124, 152, 170, 237, 294 148, 152, 156, 215
Mood, 104
Previewing, 294 Compare and contrast, 101
Narrative, 12, 16, 42, 44
Questioning the text, 98, 106, 124, Conclusion, 132, 139, 145, 157, 228,
Narrative techniques, 85
149, 150, 152, 153 229, 251, 260, 301
Note taking, 183, 209, 231, 232,
Read aloud, 5, 24, 79, 110, 173, 232, Controlling idea, 248, 250, 259,
249, 260
263, 273, 275, 283, 289 269, 300
Organization, 36, 125, 157, 230, 248,
Reader/Writer Notebook, 9, 10, 25, Details, 35, 36, 40, 41, 43, 45, 92,
250, 251, 260
43, 85, 99, 127, 140, 165, 191, 104, 112, 141, 215
chronological, 12, 16, 35
211, 224, 227, 250 Dialogue, 35, 40, 41, 42, 47, 59, 69,
compare/contrast, 300
Reading plan, 10, 240, 263 78, 84, 85
logical, 150
tags, 41, 42, 69, 78
Outlining, 85, 139, 215

362 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Paraphrase, 4, 146, 164, 167, 169, Sentence starters, 208 Writer’s Checklist, 42, 216
206, 209, 224, 234, 235, 240, Short story, 47, 48, 49, 83, 85 Writing group, 138, 169, 191,
249, 260 Sources, 187 195, 260
Personal narrative, 4, 13, 45, 47, 48 citing, 181, 183, 184, 185, 187, Writing process, 45, 85, 125, 129,
Perspective, 166, 180 207, 209, 222, 224, 235, 244, 157, 209, 235
Plagiarism, 184, 222, 244 247, 250, 260 Writing prompts, 12, 16, 25, 40, 53,
Planning, 45, 85, 125, 157, 209, 228, evaluating, 182, 183, 184, 186, 57, 64, 69, 78, 84, 90, 92, 95, 101,
234, 235, 260, 301 187, 187, 209, 235, 244, 247, 105, 114, 118, 124, 125, 135, 137,
Portfolio, 9, 12, 195, 224 249, 260 148, 156, 191, 195, 201, 214, 224,
Prewriting, 8, 25, 36, 45, 85, 125, primary, 183 227, 229, 231, 233, 248, 250, 259,
157, 209, 215, 235, 260 secondary, 183 269, 300
webbing strategy, 235 tips for citing, 222 timed, 228
Proofreading, 44 Spell-check, 44
Publishing, 44, 45, 85, 125, 235 Style, 112, 188, 235 Media Skills
Purpose, 191, 217, 228, 229, 235 formal, 188, 189, 191, 207, 208,
Domain suffix, 186
Quickwrite, 26, 49, 65, 70, 79, 102, 215, 248, 250, 259
Making a poster, 33, 124
117, 142, 146, 149, 163, 164, 167, Summarizing, 4, 139, 146, 249
Multimedia, 247, 250
182, 198, 201, 263, 264 Support, 164, 170, 180, 209, 215
Visual representation, 35, 94
Quotations, 19, 146, 249 Support paragraph, 132, 157,
direct, 222 215, 229
paraphrasing (indirect), 222 Supporting details, 95, 101, 105, Speaking and Listening
Reader/Writer Notebook, 85, 99, 114, 118, 124, 125, 135, 138, Skills
140, 224, 227 148, 156 Active listening, 209
Reasoning, 179, 217 Syntax, 69, 235 Audience, 273
Reasons, 137, 168, 170, 172, 173, Synthesizing information, 240, engaging, 260, 301
176, 177, 180, 181, 190, 191, 195, 251, 260 Choral reading, 284, 289
198, 201, 207, 208, 209, 212, 224, Technology Tips, 45, 85, 125, 157, Clarity (of pronunciation and
228, 229, 231, 235, 241, 243 209, 235, 260, 301 speaking voice), 167, 181, 208,
Research, 150, 151, 162, 182, 198, Textual evidence, 22, 23, 33, 51, 82, 243, 251, 259
206, 208, 209, 215, 235, 240, 249, 98, 101, 110, 133, 146, 148, 153, Debate, 162, 180, 202, 208, 209, 243
255, 260, 262 156, 167, 183, 243, 269 rules for (Philosophical Chairs),
note cards, 209, 250 Thesis, 134, 138, 215 180
Research question, 182, 198, 206, Thesis statement, 132, 136, 148, 152, self-assessment, 181
209, 215, 235, 244, 249, 250, 260 156, 157, 166 Drama games, 270, 271
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Response starters, 99 Title, 44 Expert group, 26, 120, 249, 256

Revision, 16, 41, 43, 44, 45, 59, 96, Tone, 188, 191, 208, 235, 248, 250, Eye contact, 243, 251, 259, 260, 271,
125, 140, 141, 157, 224, 226, 227, 259, 269, 272 273, 275, 283, 284, 289, 299
229, 231, 234, 235, 250, 259, 264 Topic sentence, 92, 95, 101, 105, Facial expression, 271, 272, 275,
Revision strategies 114, 118, 124, 132, 134, 135, 138, 281, 283, 284, 289, 299
adding, 41, 157, 201, 231, 233 148, 156, 215 Feedback, 108, 121, 251, 260, 271
deleting, 232, 233 Transition words, 21, 35, 40, 43, 44, Fishbowl strategy, 121
looping, 226, 227 45, 92, 95, 101, 105, 114, 118, Group discussions, 17, 42, 48, 78,
replacing, 140, 141, 157, 231 124, 125, 132, 135, 138, 215, 230, 82, 107, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119,
Rhetoric, 217 231, 248, 250, 259, 260 124, 130, 142, 145, 168, 179, 189,
Rhetorical appeals, 217, 218, 219, 220 of comparison, 101 195, 201, 208, 213, 251, 264, 272,
emotional (pathos), 213, 217, of contrast, 101 281, 289, 299
221, 226, 227 Visual display, 195, 196, 208, creating norms for, 107–108
logical (logos), 213, 217, 221, 222, 209, 251 Inflection, 271, 273, 274, 275, 281,
223, 224, 227 multimedia components of, 196, 283, 284, 289, 293, 299
Scoring guide, 46, 86, 126, 158, 210, 247, 251, 260 Jigsaw group, 251, 259
236, 261, 312 Visualizing, 104 Literature Circles, 119, 123
Sensory details, 84 Voice, 112 roles in, 119, 123

Index of Skills 363

Marking the text, 180, 275, 284, 288, Appositives, 223, 224 Sentences, 20
293, 299 phrases, 223 combining, 141
Movement, 272, 299 Clauses, 231 complex, 9, 233, 248
Multimedia, 240, 247 dependent, 233, 248 compound, 105, 248
Multimedia presentation, 247, 260 independent, 20, 105, 233, 248 fragments, 20
Note-taking, 108, 114, 121, 123, 164, Conjunctions simple, 20, 105, 248, 259
208, 251, 259, 260, 301 coordinating, 64, 105, 248 Series, 14, 141
Oral interpretation, 273, 275, Dependent markers, 233 Verbs, 59, 265
283, 299 Parallel structure/parallelism, 141, power verb list, 226
Oral introduction, 301 255 tenses, 93, 101, 105, 114
Oral presentation, 240, 260, 299 Phrases, 14, 231 consistency of, 93, 95
Oral reading, 263, 293 Power adjectives, 225, 227 vivid, 29, 35, 40, 41, 43, 47, 59,
Pantomime, 270 Power verbs, 225, 227 84, 85
Props, 270, 272, 283, 284, 289, Pronouns, 12, 29, 40, 43, 101, 105
299, 301 agreement with nouns, 96, Vocabulary Skills
Rate (of speaking), 181, 208, 271, 114, 272
Academic Vocabulary, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12,
273, 274, 275, 281, 283, 284, 289, in number, 96
16, 26, 40, 88, 90, 94, 101, 102,
293, 299 in person, 96
107, 118, 127, 160, 162, 163, 166,
Reader’s Theatre, 263, 281, 283, 301 antecedent of, 189
170, 182, 183, 184, 185, 211, 220,
Rehearsal, 260, 271, 272, 275, 283, intensive, 18, 25, 96, 272
238, 240, 244, 247, 251, 252
289, 299, 301 objective, 24, 25, 96, 272
Acronyms, 37
video recording of, 301 possessive, 24, 25, 71, 96, 272
Antonyms, 7
Role playing, 270, 293 reflexive, 18
Connotation, 17, 21, 147
Sound, 272, 299, 301 subjective, 24, 25, 96, 272
Context, 111
Tableau, 270, 299 vague, 272
Denotation, 17
Tone (of voice), 271, 281, 283, 284, Punctuation, 25, 40, 42, 124, 284
Diffusing, 142, 145, 172, 177, 241,
289, 293, 299 commas, 14, 19, 105, 141,
256, 284
Viewing guide, 208, 209 248, 274
QHT strategy, 4, 47, 90, 162, 211,
Visuals, 162, 260, 299, 301 dashes, 274
240, 262
Volume, 169, 181, 208, 243, 251, exclamation marks, 19, 274
Roots and affixes, 16, 54, 60, 106,
259, 260, 274, 293 periods, 19
112, 135, 251, 270, 277
quotation marks, 19, 222
Synonyms, 7
Language Skills semicolons, 9, 105, 132, 248, 274
Word origins, 247
Repetition, 66, 255

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Active voice, 189 Word relationships, 283, 287
Sentence variety, 64, 78, 84, 105,
Adjectives Word wall, 140, 255, 264, 265
118, 124, 125, 135, 233, 248,
power adjective list, 225
250, 259
precise, 264
predicate adjectives, 265
Adverbs, 265
precise, 265

364 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Index of Authors and Titles
Adams, John, 190 Jabberwocky,” 286
Akouris, Tina, 177 “Jacket, The,” 26
“. . . And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed Johnson, Catherine, 149, 154
Everything to Win the Love of the Prince, the Prince Kahodata, Cynthia, 29
(Alas) Decided to Wed Another,” 131 Kira-Kira, 30
Anderson, Hans Christian, 130 Lear, Edward, 273
Angelou, Maya, 137 Letter on Thomas Jefferson, 190
Aristotle, 5 Limericks, 274
As You Like It, 256 Ling, Lisa, 173
Asimov, Isaac, 79 “Little Mermaid, The,” 130
Bagert, Brod, 5 Merchant of Venice, The, 257
Baldwin, James Arthur, 137 Mermaid, Ima, 132
Baruch, Bernard M., 182 “Millionaire Miser, The,” 276
Blyton, Enid, 60 Montgomery, Sy, 155
Book of Nonsense, A, 274 “Most Dangerous ‘Sport’ of All May Be Cheerleading,”
Bosman, Julie, 193 173
British Library, The, 245 Mowat, Barbara A., 252
Buddha, 164 “My Story” (from Animals in Translation), 154
Carroll, Lewis, 286 “My Superpowers,” 14
Churchill, Winston, 137 Myers, Walter Dean, 70
Cisneros, Sandra, 65 “Oranges,” 284
Clark, Laura, 241 “Pandora and the Whispering Box,” 60
de Nies, Yunji, 168 “Penny Problem: Not Worth the Metal It’s Made Of,”
Des Moines Register Editorial Board, 166 168
“Dogs Make Us Human,” 149 Peters, Scott H. (Grand Council Fire of American
“Don’t Ban Peanuts at School, But Teach About the Indians), 217,
Dangers,” 166 Prather, Hugh, 5
“Eleven,” 65 “Pros and Cons of Social Networking for Teenagers:
“E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes and Go in Backpacks,” A Parent’s Guide, The,” 199
193 “Reading Shakespeare’s Language—The Taming of the
“Fireflies,” 287 Shrew,” 252
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

“First Americans, The,” 218, 219, 220, 223 “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal,” 146
First Part of Henry the Fourth, The, 257 “Shakespeare Dumbed Down in Comic Strips for Bored
Fleischman, Paul, 287 Pupils,” 241
Flipped, 18 Shakespeare, William, 294
Franklin, Benjamin, 137 “Shakespeare’s Life,” 245
“Fun They Had, The,” 79 Sheehy, Gail, 5
Ghadishah, Arash, 173 Shephard, Aaron, 276
Gandhi, Mahatma, 137 “Should Dodge Ball Be Banned in Schools?” 171
Grandin, Temple, 149, 154 “Social Networking’s Good and Bad Impacts on Kids,”
Greenburg, Dan, 13, 200
Greene, Jay, 164 Sonnet 18, 256
Grogan, John, 146 Soto, Gary, 26, 284
Hazlitt, William, 164 “Southpaw, The” 266
“He Might Have Liked Me Better with My Tail,” 132 Staff of TIME for Kids, 171
“High School Football: Would a Pop Warner Ban Limit Stanberry, Kristin, 199
Concussions?” 177 Steinbeck, John, 142
Hughes, Langston, 50 Taming of the Shrew, The, 256, 294, 302
“Imperfect Me,” 6

Index of Authors and Titles 365

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows
Embraced Autism and Changed the World, 155
“Thank You, M’am,” 50
Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, The, 256
Tragedy of Julius Caesar, The, 257
Tragedy of King Lear, The, 258
Tragedy of Macbeth, The, 258
Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, The, 258
Tragedy of Richard the Third, The, 257
Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, The, 257
Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, The, 258
Travels with Charley (“In Search of America”), 141
“Treasure of Lemon Brown, The,” 70
Twelfth Night, or What You Will, 258
Van Draanen, Wendelin, 17
Viorst, Judith, 131, 266
Walk Two Moons, 98, 111, 117,
Warhol, Andy, 137
Werstine, Paul, 252

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

366 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6

 Credits
“Imperfect Me” from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age Reprinted with permission of Atheneum Books
in Middle School by Brod Bagert. Copyright © 2006 by for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Shuster
Brod Bagert. Maupin House Publishing, Inc. Children’s Publishing Division. Copyright © 1981
“My Superpowers” by Dan Greenburg. Reproduced by Judith Viorst.
permission. From Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Copyright
From Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen, copyright © 1962 by John Steinbeck, renewed 1989, 1990 by
© 2001 by Wendelin Van Draanen Parsons. Used by Elaine Steinbeck, Thom Steinbeck, and John Steinbeck
permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random IV. Penguin Classics Deluxe Anniversary Edition
House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, copyright © 2012. New York.
Inc. “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal” from Bad Dogs Have
“The Jacket” by Gary Soto from The Effects of Knut More Fun by John Grogan. Copyright © 2007 The
Hamsun on a Fresno Boy: Recollections and Short Essays Philadelphia Inquirer. Published by Vanguard Books.
by Gary Soto. Copyright © 1983, 2000 by Gary Soto. “Dogs Make Us Happy” and “My Story” from Animals
Reproduced by permission of Persea Books, Inc. (New in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode
York). Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin and Catherine
From Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. Reproduced with Johnson. Copyright © 2005 by Temple Grandin and
the permission of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Catherine Johnson. Published by Scribener, trademark
an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing of Macmillan Library References, USA, Inc., used under
Division. Copyright © 2004 Cynthia Kadohata. license by Simon & Schuster.
“Thank You, M’am” from Short Stories by Langston “Hampshire School for Wayward Wizards” from
Hughes. Copyright © 1996 by Ramona Bass and Arnold How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and
Rampersad. Reprinted by permission of Hill and Wang, Changed the World by Sy Montgomery. Copyright ©
a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. 2012 by Sy Montgomery. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2012.
“Pandora and the Whispering Box” from Tales of
Ancient Greece by Enid Blyton. Copyright © 1998 “Don’t ban peanuts at school, but teach about the
Element Books Ltd. dangers” by Des Moines Register Editorial Board.
Copyright © 2007 by Des Moines Register, a Gannett
“Eleven” from Woman Hollering Creek. Copyright ©
Company.
1991 by Sandra Cisneros. Published by Vintage Books,
a dividion of Random House, Inc., New York and “Penny Problem: Not Worth Metal It’s Made of ” by
originally in hardcover by Random House, Inc. By Yunji de Nies via World News, a division of ABC News.
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

permission of Susan Bergholz Literary Services, New Copyright © 2008 by ABC News.
York, and Lamy, NM. All rights reserved. “Should Dodge Ball Be Banned in Schools?” by TIME
“The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers for Kids Staff. Copyright © 2011 by TIME.
from Boys’ Life Magazine, March 1983. Copyright © “Most Dangerous ‘Sport’ of All May Be Cheerleading”
1983 by Walter Dean Myers. Reproduced by permission by Lisa Ling and Arash Ghadishah. Copyright © 2010
of Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency, on behalf of by Nightline, a division of ABC News.
Walter Dean Myers. “High School Football: Would a Pop Warner Ban Limit
“The Fun They Had” from Isaac Asimov: The Complete Concussions?” by Tina Akouris. Copyright © 2012 by
Stories of Vol. I by Isaac Asimov. Copyright © 1957 The Herald-News, a Chicago Sun-Times publication.
by Isaac Asimov. Used by permission of Doubleday, a “E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes and Go in Backpacks”
division of Random House. by Julie Bosman. Copyright © 2011 The New York
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Copyright © 1994 Times Company.
by Sharon Creech. HarperColins Children’s Books. “The Pros and Cons of Social Networking for
“… And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed Teenagers” by Kristin Stanberry. Copyright © 2010 by
Everything to Win the Love of the Prince, the Prince Education.com.
(Alas) Decided to Wed Another,” from If I Were in “Social Networking’s Good and Bad Impacts on Kids”
Charge of the World and Other Stories by Judith Viorst.

Credits 367
published by Science Daily.com. Copyright © 2011
American Psychological Association.
“Pro and Con Arguments: ‘Are social networking sites
good for our society?’” by Procon.org. Copyright ©
2012 Procon.org.
“The First Americans” by Scott H. Peters, Grand
Council Fire of American Indians, 1927.
“Shakespeare dumbed down in comic strips for bored
pupils” by Laura Clark. Copyright © 2007 The Daily
Mail Company. Published by dailymail.co.uk.
“Shakespeare’s Life” from Treasures in Quatro.
Copyrighted by the British Library, accessed May 16,
2013.
“Reading Shakespeare’s Language from Taming of the
Shrew” by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. Copyright
© 1992 by the Folger Shakespeare Library. Washington
Square Press (a Simon & Schuster company).
“The Southpaw” by Judith Viorst. Copyright © 1974
by Judith Viorst. From Free to Be … You and Me. This
usage granted by permission of Lescher & Lescher, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
“The Millionaire Miser” appeared first in Cricket,
November 1995. Copyright © 1995 Aaron Shepard.
Reproduced by permission of the author. For more
stories, visit www.aaronshep.com.
“Oranges” from New and Selected Poems by Gary Soto.
Copyright © 1995 by Gary Soto. Used with permission
of Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco. Visit
ChronicleBooks.com.
“Fireflies” from Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman,
text copyright © 1988 by Paul Fleischman. Used by
permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.

Image Credits
Cover: Leonard Gertz/Stone/Getty Images
1 (tr) StevenRussellSmithPhotos/Shutterstock; 6 (cr)
Oxana Mahnac/Shutterstock; 59 (c) diversepixel/
Shutterstock; 87 (tr) Nejron Photo/Shutterstock;
143 (cr) Larry Jacobsen/Shutterstock; 159 (tr)
weknow/Shutterstock; 193 (tc) Umberto Shtanzman/
Shutterstock; 237 (tr) Stocksnapper/Shutterstock;
245 (cr) Stocksnapper/Shutterstock; 287 (cr) Oleg
Golovnev/Shutterstock; 290 (c) Courtesy of Karen J.
Hatzigeorgiou

368 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6