Overview

Lesson Procedure

50-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice10-15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Your friend says, 'My little brother is a real Houdini. No lock can keep him in his room.' What would you need to know to understand this sentence? What does it mean?"

   Collect answers. Students who know that Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was a famous escape artist, who freed himself from handcuffs, locked trunks and straitjackets, understand the joke at once: the brother always finds a way out. Students who do not know the name are stuck. Name the move: this is an allusion, a short reference to a well-known person, place, event or story that the writer expects the reader to recognize. Houdini is a historical allusion. Today students work with three kinds the standard names, literary (from books and stories), biblical (from the Bible) and mythological (from myths, such as Greek and Roman myths), and with two more ways words carry extra meaning: the relationships between words and the feelings words carry.

2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes

   Part 1: Allusions and other figures of speech (standard a). A figure of speech is an expression that is not meant literally, such as a simile, a metaphor, hyperbole or an idiom. An allusion is a figure of speech that packs a whole story into a few words. It works only if the reader knows the source, so interpret it in four steps (Diagram 2): spot the reference, find the source, find the part of the story that fits, and explain what it means in this sentence. The same allusion can mean different things in different contexts, so the last step always goes back to the sentence.

   Part 2: Word relationships (standard b). Synonyms are words with nearly the same meaning (ancient, old), and antonyms are words with opposite meanings (ancient, modern). Writers often place a synonym or an antonym near a hard word, so it works as a clue. Signal words help: or, that is and a comma often introduce a synonym, and unlike, but and instead of often introduce an antonym. An analogy puts two word pairs side by side that share the same relationship. It is written hot : cold :: day : night and read "hot is to cold as day is to night." To solve one, name the relationship in the first pair, then find the word that makes the second pair match.

   Part 3: Connotations (standard c). Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning, and connotation is the feeling or association it adds: positive, negative or neutral. The standard's example words all describe how a person treats others, but a reader who hears respectful admires the person, and a reader who hears condescending dislikes the person (Diagram 1).

   • Mythological allusion in context

     Ever since my aunt opened her bakery, everything she tries sells out. Her friends say she has the Midas touch.

     Result: Reference: the Midas touch. Source: the Greek myth of King Midas, retold by Thomas Bulfinch, in which Midas asks the god Bacchus that everything he touches turn to gold. The part that fits: whatever Midas touched became valuable. Meaning here: whatever the aunt tries becomes a success. A careful reader also knows the rest of the myth, in which the gift becomes a curse because even his food turns to gold, so a writer can use the same allusion as a warning.

   • Biblical allusion in context

     A stranger stopped in the pouring rain to help us change a flat tire, then drove off before we could thank him. "A real Good Samaritan," Dad said.

     Result: Source: a parable (a short teaching story) in the Gospel of Luke (10:30-37). A traveler is robbed, beaten and left by the road; a priest and a Levite pass him by, but a Samaritan, a man from a group the listeners looked down on, bandages him and pays for his care at an inn. The part that fits: a stranger goes out of his way to help someone in need and expects nothing back. Meaning here: the driver is an unusually kind stranger.

   • Literary allusion in context

     After two weeks at a mountain camp with no phones or news, Kai came home feeling like Rip Van Winkle.

     Result: Source: Washington Irving's story "Rip Van Winkle" (1819). Rip falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains, wakes twenty years later and walks into a village where everything has changed, even the country's government, since the American Revolution happened while he slept. The part that fits: someone returns and finds the world has moved on without him. Meaning here: Kai feels out of touch, as if he had missed everything, though he was gone only two weeks, so the allusion also exaggerates for humor.

   • Synonym, antonym and analogy

     The first hike was grueling, but the second one was effortless. Then: grueling : effortless :: stormy : ____

     Result: But signals a contrast, so effortless is an antonym of grueling, and grueling must mean very hard and tiring. A synonym would be exhausting. In the analogy, the first pair is antonyms, so the second must be too: stormy : calm. Knowing either word of an antonym pair tells you something about the other.

   • Connotation: the official example words

     refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending

     Result: All five describe how a person behaves toward others. Polite is close to neutral: it says a person follows the rules of manners. Diplomatic praises tact, handling a touchy moment without giving offense. Refined praises elegant, cultured manners. Respectful praises real regard for another person. Condescending criticizes: the person may sound polite but treats others as less important or less able. A waiter who explains the menu slowly sounds kind if he is respectful and insulting if he is condescending.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Many allusions point to fables, myths and Bible stories, so readers need the stories themselves. Read the fable aloud. Then ask: what does the Fox do when he cannot reach the grapes? (He pretends he never wanted them.) Now read a modern sentence: After Nina did not make the soccer team, she told everyone she had never wanted to play anyway. Her friend whispered, "Sour grapes." Students explain the literary allusion: Nina, like the Fox, pretends that what she could not get was not worth having.

   1A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, "I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour."

   Next, read the Midas excerpt aloud. Words to know: scarce (hardly), sod (a piece of grassy earth), repast (a meal), morsel (a small bite), divest (to get rid of), coveted (wanted very much) and deity (a god). Bacchus is the Roman name of the Greek god Dionysus. In pairs, students complete the middle column of the table; the teacher key is in the right column.

   1[...] Whereupon Bacchus offered Midas his choice of a reward, whatever he might wish. He asked that whatever he might touch should be changed into GOLD. Bacchus consented, though sorry that he had not made a better choice. Midas went his way, rejoicing in his new-acquired power, which he hastened to put to the test. He could scarce believe his eyes when he found a twig of an oak, which he plucked from the branch, become gold in his hand. He took up a stone; it changed to gold. He touched a sod; it did the same. He took an apple from the tree; you would have thought he had robbed the garden of the Hesperides. His joy knew no bounds, and as soon as he got home, he ordered the servants to set a splendid repast on the table. Then he found to his dismay that whether he touched bread, it hardened in his hand; or put a morsel to his lips, it defied his teeth. He took a glass of wine, but it flowed down his throat like melted gold.

   2In consternation at the unprecedented affliction, he strove to divest himself of his power; he hated the gift he had lately coveted. But all in vain; starvation seemed to await him. He raised his arms, all shining with gold, in prayer to Bacchus, begging to be delivered from his glittering destruction. Bacchus, merciful deity, heard and consented. "Go," said he, "to the River Pactolus, trace the stream to its fountain-head, there plunge your head and body in, and wash away your fault and its punishment." He did so, and scarce had he touched the waters before the gold-creating power passed into them, and the river-sands became changed into GOLD, as they remain to this day.

   Reading the Midas excerpt for allusions and word relationships (teacher key in the last column)

   Words (paragraph)	Question	Teacher key
   "whatever he might touch should be changed into GOLD" (1)	Which modern allusion comes from this wish?	The Midas touch: the power to make whatever one touches valuable or successful.
   "you would have thought he had robbed the garden of the Hesperides" (1)	Bulfinch uses an allusion inside the myth. What does it add?	In Greek myth, the Hesperides were nymphs who guarded a tree of golden apples. The apple Midas picks is so golden that it looks like stolen treasure of the gods.
   "he hated the gift he had lately coveted" (2)	What happens to the wish? What would a writer mean by warning that a rich person's gift may be a curse?	The gift he wanted most becomes a curse, since he cannot eat. A writer can use the allusion to warn that wealth or success can cost too much.
   "dismay" (1) and "consternation" (2)	What is the relationship between the two words?	Synonyms: both name alarm and distress, so knowing dismay explains consternation.
   "His joy knew no bounds" (1) and "dismay" (1)	What is the relationship, and how does it show a change in Midas?	Near antonyms: joy turns into distress within one paragraph, as soon as he tries to eat.
   "glittering destruction" (2)	Why is this phrase surprising?	Glittering suggests beauty and wealth, but destruction is ruin; the pairing shows that the shining gold is killing him.

   Discuss: If a sports writer says a team owner "has the Midas touch," is it praise or a warning? (Usually praise, but a writer who knows the whole myth can hint that success may come at a price.) Why does an allusion work better than a plain word such as successful? (It brings the whole story, and its feeling, into one phrase.)

4. Independent Practice10-15 minutes

   Students read each sentence in the chart. For each bold word, they (1) find the synonym or antonym clue, (2) name the relationship and (3) write what the bold word means. Then they turn two rows into an analogy, for example docile : wild :: elated : glum. Students fill in the middle and right columns; the teacher key follows.

   Synonym and antonym clues (teacher key)

   Sentence	Clue and relationship	Meaning (teacher key)
   The puppy was docile, gentle and easy to handle, unlike its wild brother.	Synonyms gentle, easy to handle; antonym wild	Calm and easy to control
   The museum tour was tedious; the guide talked for an hour and the whole class grew bored.	Synonym-like clue bored, with the long talk as support	Long and boring
   Grandpa is frugal, not wasteful: he saves string, glass jars and old newspapers.	Antonym wasteful (signal not)	Careful not to waste money or things
   The home fans were elated after the win, while the visiting fans were glum.	Antonym glum (signal while)	Very happy and excited
   The directions were ambiguous, not clear at all, so half the class did the wrong page.	Antonym clear (signal not)	Unclear; able to be understood in more than one way
   The dilapidated barn, old and falling apart, stood beside a brand-new shed.	Synonyms old, falling apart; antonym brand-new	In very bad condition from age and neglect

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Write one sentence with an allusion from today's lesson and explain it in one sentence. (2) Complete this analogy and name the relationship: polite : rude :: humble : ____.

   Teacher note on the texts: The fable and the Midas excerpt are quoted exactly. Bulfinch first published The Age of Fable in 1855 to help readers understand the allusions in English literature; this is the 1913 Crowell edition. He uses the Roman names of the gods, so Bacchus is the Greek Dionysus. The Pactolus is a real river in western Turkey that was famous in ancient times for gold in its sands, which the myth explains. Biblical allusions are taught here as literary and cultural references, as the standard names them; the lesson retells each story briefly and does not teach religious belief.

   For the quiz: Questions 1-6 use the story "The Underdogs" below, and Questions 16-18 and 20 use "Family Night" after it. Paragraph numbers are shown beside each story.

   1When the Ridgeview Middle School robotics team drew Westfield Academy in the first round of the county tournament, everyone called the match David and Goliath. Westfield had won the county title three years in a row, had a sponsor who paid for new parts, and had twelve members. Ridgeview had five members, a robot built from a kit, and a laptop borrowed from the library.

   2Two weeks before the tournament, the robot's wiring still had to be redone, a slow, boring job that nobody wanted. Maya sat down with the wires and a roll of tape and began to hum, as if it were the best puzzle she had ever seen. "Sorry, I can only let one person help," she said. Soon three teammates were begging for a turn. Our coach laughed and said Maya had pulled a Tom Sawyer on us, and by then the job was almost done.

   3On the morning of the match, Westfield's captain walked over with a box of doughnuts and a friendly offer to "help" us check our robot's settings. Our coach thanked him for the doughnuts but kept the laptop closed. "A box of doughnuts can be a Trojan horse," he told us later. "He probably meant well, but a team should never let a rival inside its code."

   4Ten minutes before the match, Theo shouted that the robot's battery was dead. Twice that week he had sounded the same alarm, and twice the battery had turned out to be fine. This time nobody even looked up. "Theo has cried wolf too many times," Maya said. But this time the battery really was dead, and we swapped in a spare with thirty seconds to go.

   5We lost the match by four points, but we scored more points than any other first-year team in the tournament. Afterward, Ms. Reyes, our principal, who had been a doubting Thomas all season, shook each of our hands. "I told you a kit robot couldn't keep up," she said. "I'll believe it now that I've seen it." The bus ride home took three hours because of a snowstorm and a flat tire, and somewhere on the highway Maya called the whole season our odyssey.

   1Every October, the seventh grade hosts Family Night, and this year Ana ran the welcome table. Her job was to greet families, hand out maps of the school and answer questions. Before the doors opened, Mr. Brooks, the teacher in charge, gave the helpers one piece of advice: "Every family who walks in is our guest."

   2The first visitor was Ana's great-grandmother, who is ninety-one. Ana stood up, greeted her by name, listened to her whole story about the school as it was in 1948, and walked her to a seat near the stage before doing anything else. Mr. Brooks later wrote in the newsletter that Ana's greeting was respectful.

   3Dev, a helper from the other seventh-grade class, sat beside Ana. He said "please" and "thank you" to every family and smiled at each one, but between visitors he looked at the clock again and again. "He's polite," Ana thought, "but I wouldn't say he's glad to be here."

   4At seven o'clock, two fathers came in arguing over who had taken the last parking space. Ana did not take a side. She thanked both of them for coming, mentioned that the lot behind the gym still had plenty of room, and handed each of them a map. Mr. Brooks called the way she handled it diplomatic.

   5Later, the guest speaker, Dr. Hale, gave a talk about the history of the town. She dressed simply but elegantly, spoke in a calm, clear voice, and recited a short poem from memory to end her talk. One parent said afterward that Dr. Hale's manners were refined.

   6Near the end of the night, a high school student who had come to help with the stage lights leaned over the welcome table and picked up one of Ana's maps. "Wow, you made a map all by yourself," he said slowly, as if Ana were five years old. "That must have been really hard for you." Ana's friend rolled her eyes and whispered one word: "Condescending."

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 1 of "The Underdogs," why does everyone call the first-round match "David and Goliath"?

   ABoth teams have won the county title before, so the match should be close. BA small, less experienced team is facing a much bigger and stronger rival. CThe Westfield team is expected to break the rules in order to win. DTwo of the robots in the match are named after heroes from an old story.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 2, the coach says Maya "pulled a Tom Sawyer" on her teammates. What did Maya do?

   AShe made a dull job look so enjoyable that her teammates begged to help. BShe finished the whole wiring job by herself without accepting any help. CShe slipped away from the wiring job and left it for the rest of the team. DShe told her teammates a long adventure story while they did the work.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 3, the coach says, "A box of doughnuts can be a Trojan horse." What does he mean?

   ASharing food with a rival team is the quickest way to become friends before a match. BThe rival captain has brought far more doughnuts than one team can eat. CA friendly-looking gift can be a way for a rival to get inside and do harm. DA robot should be checked as carefully as a horse before a big race.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 4, Maya says, "Theo has cried wolf too many times." The allusion is to Aesop's fable of a shepherd boy who calls "Wolf!" as a joke. What does Maya mean?

   ATheo shouted so loudly that the judges asked the team to be quiet. BTheo was the only person who noticed the dead battery in time. CTheo complained about the rival team so often that his teammates got tired of it. DTheo's earlier false alarms made people ignore him when the danger was real.

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 5, the principal, Ms. Reyes, "had been a doubting Thomas all season." What does the allusion show about her?

   AShe thought the team should have spent more of its money on an expensive robot kit. BShe did not trust the judges to count the points fairly in the match. CShe would not believe the team could compete until she saw it herself. DShe was the team's most loyal supporter from the very first day.

6. Question 6 of 20 · Short Answer

   In paragraph 5, Maya calls the whole season "our odyssey." Name the source of the allusion and explain what the word shows about the team's season. Use at least two details from the story.

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7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence contains a biblical allusion?

   AMy brother's room is so messy that it looks like a tornado hit it last night. BOur dog is as loyal as a best friend who never forgets your birthday party. CThe math quiz was a piece of cake, so everyone finished it in ten minutes. DAfter spending all his savings, my cousin came home like the prodigal son.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Read: Jordan's teacher warned him not to sign up for five clubs and two sports at once, but he did it anyway. By November he was falling behind in every class. "He flew too close to the sun," she said. What does this allusion to the Greek myth of Icarus mean in context?

   AJordan reached too far, and his overconfidence led to a fall. BJordan spent too much time outdoors and became sick from the heat. CJordan worked so hard that he became the best student in his school. DJordan was blamed unfairly by a teacher who did not like him.

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Read: "You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who ate the last cupcake," Mom said, looking at the frosting on my brother's chin. What does the allusion suggest?

   AMom has asked a real detective to find out who ate the cupcake. BMy brother is a skilled detective who solved the mystery of the missing cupcake. CThe answer takes no special detective skill, because the clue is obvious. DThe cupcakes were made from a recipe in an old detective story.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Short Answer

    Read: My brother stops to admire his reflection in every store window we pass. "Come on, Narcissus," my sister said. Name the source of the allusion, tell the source story in one or two sentences, and explain what the sister means.

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11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Read: Unlike his sister, who is gregarious and loves big parties, Sam is shy and would rather read alone. Which word is an antonym (a word with the opposite meaning) clue for gregarious, and what does gregarious most likely mean?

    Ashy; gregarious means sociable, enjoying the company of others Bparties; gregarious means noisy and fond of very loud music Calone; gregarious means happy to spend time by oneself, away from others Dsister; gregarious means older than others in the family

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Complete the analogy: generous : selfish :: brave : ____

    Acourageous Bcowardly Cbold Dfearless

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which pair of words has the same relationship as enormous : huge?

    Atiny : large Bdamp : moist Cpage : book Dsalmon : fish

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Read: The hikers were famished; they had not eaten since breakfast and were so hungry that they finished the whole pot of stew. How does the context help a reader understand famished?

    ABreakfast names a meal, so famished must mean a kind of morning food. BStew is an antonym clue, so famished must mean full and satisfied. CHikers is a synonym clue, so famished must mean a group of travelers. DSo hungry restates the word, so famished must mean extremely hungry.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write two analogies of your own in the form A : B :: C : D, one built on synonyms and one built on antonyms. Use at least one word you learned this year. For each analogy, explain the relationship and how it helps a reader understand the less familiar word.

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16. Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 6 of "Family Night," why does Ana's friend whisper "Condescending"?

    AThe student is praising the map because he truly admires Ana's hard work. BThe student is speaking to Ana as if she were a small child who cannot do much. CThe student is too shy to speak up in front of all the families waiting at the welcome table. DThe student is upset that Ana did not ask him to help her make the map.

17. Question 17 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 4, Mr. Brooks calls the way Ana handled the two arguing fathers "diplomatic." What does the word mean here?

    AShe dealt with the disagreement tactfully, without taking a side or upsetting anyone. BShe told the two fathers which of them was wrong and asked that father to apologize to the other. CShe followed a written parking rule that Mr. Brooks had given all the helpers. DShe ignored both fathers and let them settle the argument between themselves.

18. Question 18 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 3, Ana thinks Dev is "polite" but not glad to be there. Which statement best explains her choice of polite?

    AHe treats each family with deep honor, as Ana treats her great-grandmother. BHe is rude to the families and forgets to thank them for coming. CHe follows the rules of good manners, but his interest seems to stop there. DHe talks down to the families as if they could not read a school map.

19. Question 19 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A store wants its winter jackets to sound like a good value. Which word has the most positive connotation?

    Acheap Bcut-rate Cbargain-basement Daffordable

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    In paragraph 5, a parent says Dr. Hale's manners were "refined." Explain what refined adds that polite would not, using two details from paragraph 5.

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These standards connect to L.7.5: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.