Overview

Lesson Procedure

55-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

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

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "You are writing a short article for the school newsletter about a person at school that everyone should know, such as a coach, a custodian or a crossing guard. Write the first sentence of your article. Then, in a few words, name one short true story you would tell to show what this person is like."

   Collect three or four first sentences and stories. Point out that the first sentence is the reader's first picture of the person, and the story is proof of that picture in action. Tell students that nonfiction writers do the same thing on purpose, and today they will watch one writer do it with a famous wolf.

2. Direct Instruction15 minutes

   Teach six terms before reading, and leave them on the board with Diagram 1:

   • Key individual: the person, animal, event or idea that a text is mostly about. Here it is Lobo, a wolf.
   • Introduce: how the author first presents the individual. Look at the first mention, the names or labels used and the first impression readers get.
   • Illustrate: to show the individual in action, so readers see what the author has claimed.
   • Example: one quick case, often a single sentence, that shows a trait.
   • Anecdote: a short true story about one incident, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
   • Elaborate: to add more to the picture later on, with facts, numbers, explanations, corrections or the author's own observations.

   Words to know in Passages 1 and 2: mesas (flat-topped hills), despotic (ruling with total, harsh power), ravaged (badly damaged), bivouac (an outdoor camp), canon (canyon), inroads (attacks), freebooters (robbers), fastidious (very fussy), heifer (a young cow), disdained (refused as not good enough), mutton (sheep meat), descried (spotted) and immunity (protection from harm). Blanca, whose name means "white" in Spanish, is a white wolf in Lobo's pack; lobo is Spanish for "wolf."

   1CURRUMPAW is a vast cattle range in northern New Mexico. It is a land of rich pastures and teeming flocks and herds, a land of rolling mesas and precious running waters that at length unite in the Currumpaw River, from which the whole region is named. And the king whose despotic power was felt over its entire extent was an old gray wolf.

   2Old Lobo, or the king, as the Mexicans called him, was the gigantic leader of a remarkable pack of gray wolves, that had ravaged the Currumpaw Valley for a number of years. All the shepherds and ranchmen knew him well, and, wherever he appeared with his trusty band, terror reigned supreme among the cattle, and wrath and despair among their owners. Old Lobo was a giant among wolves, and was cunning and strong in proportion to his size. His voice at night was well-known and easily distinguished from that of any of his fellows. An ordinary wolf might howl half the night about the herdsman's bivouac without attracting more than a passing notice, but when the deep roar of the old king came booming down the canon, the watcher bestirred himself and prepared to learn in the morning that fresh and serious inroads had been made among the herds.

   1The old idea that a wolf was constantly in a starving state, and therefore ready to eat anything, was as far as possible from the truth in this case, for these freebooters were always sleek and well-conditioned, and were in fact most fastidious about what they ate. Any animal that had died from natural causes, or that was diseased or tainted, they would not touch, and they even rejected anything that had been killed by the stockmen. Their choice and daily food was the tenderer part of a freshly killed yearling heifer. An old bull or cow they disdained, and though they occasionally took a young calf or colt, it was quite clear that veal or horseflesh was not their favorite diet. It was also known that they were not fond of mutton, although they often amused themselves by killing sheep. One night in November, 1893, Blanca and the yellow wolf killed two hundred and fifty sheep, apparently for the fun of it, and did not eat an ounce of their flesh.

   2These are examples of many stories which I might repeat, to show the ravages of this destructive band. Many new devices for their extinction were tried each year, but still they lived and throve in spite of all the efforts of their foes. A great price was set on Lobo's head, and in consequence poison in a score of subtle forms was put out for him, but he never failed to detect and avoid it. One thing only he feared--that was firearms, and knowing full well that all men in this region carried them, he never was known to attack or face a human being. Indeed, the set policy of his band was to take refuge in flight whenever, in the daytime, a man was descried, no matter at what distance. Lobo's habit of permitting the pack to eat only that which they themselves had killed, was in numerous cases their salvation, and the keenness of his scent to detect the taint of human hands or the poison itself, completed their immunity.

   • Introduced: the first picture

     How does Seton introduce Lobo in Passage 1?

     Result: He holds back the surprise. Paragraph 1 describes a rich cattle country and its "king," and only the last words reveal that the king "was an old gray wolf." Paragraph 2 then gives the name and builds the picture through what Lobo does to people: "terror reigned supreme among the cattle, and wrath and despair among their owners." Readers first meet Lobo as a powerful ruler that everyone fears, not as an ordinary animal.

   • Illustrated: an example, not an anecdote

     In paragraph 1 of Passage 2, Seton says the pack "even rejected anything that had been killed by the stockmen." Is this an example or an anecdote, and what does it show?

     Result: An example. It is one quick case in a single clause, with no particular day, place or sequence of events, so it is not a story. It shows the claim just before it, that the wolves were "most fastidious about what they ate." Several short examples in a row (no diseased animals, no old bulls, the tenderest part of a heifer) build that claim quickly.

   • Elaborated: correcting an old idea

     Paragraph 1 of Passage 2 opens with "The old idea that a wolf was constantly in a starving state, and therefore ready to eat anything." How does this sentence elaborate on Lobo?

     Result: It sets up a common belief and then says it "was as far as possible from the truth in this case." Correcting the belief adds something new to the picture from Passage 1: Lobo's pack is not desperate or hungry, it is "sleek and well-conditioned" and picky. The king from Passage 1 now has habits, and they make him even harder to catch.

   • Elaborated: explaining a trait

     What does the last sentence of Passage 2 add to the picture of Lobo?

     Result: It explains why poison failed. The pack ate "only that which they themselves had killed," and Lobo's keen scent picked up "the taint of human hands." Passage 1 only claimed that Lobo was cunning; this sentence elaborates by giving the reasons behind his success, so the claim now has an explanation.

   Model the tracker. Show Diagram 1 and fill in one line for each move as you think aloud: "Seton introduces Lobo as a feared king (Passage 1, paragraph 1). He illustrates the pack's habits with quick examples (Passage 2, paragraph 1). He elaborates by explaining why poison never worked (Passage 2, paragraph 2)." Point out that Passage 2, paragraph 2 starts with "These are examples of many stories which I might repeat": Seton himself tells readers that he is illustrating.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Read Passage 3 aloud. It is a story one of the cowboys told about Lobo. Words to know: rallying-cry (a call that gathers a group), stealthily (quietly, so as not to be noticed), knoll (a small hill), 'cut out' (separate one animal from the herd), onset (attack), ere (before), strychnine (a deadly poison once used on wolves) and carcass (a dead animal's body). The passage describes a cow being killed; preview it for students who may find this upsetting.

   1On one occasion, one of the cowboys heard the too familiar rallying-cry of Old Lobo, and, stealthily approaching, he found the Currumpaw pack in a hollow, where they had 'rounded' up a small herd of cattle. Lobo sat apart on a knoll, while Blanca with the rest was endeavoring to 'cut out' a young cow, which they had selected; but the cattle were standing in a compact mass with their heads outward, and presented to the foe a line of horns, unbroken save when some cow, frightened by a fresh onset of the wolves, tried to retreat into the middle of the herd. It was only by taking advantage of these breaks that the wolves had succeeded at all in wounding the selected cow, but she was far from being disabled, and it seemed that Lobo at length lost patience with his followers, for he left his position on the hill, and, uttering a deep roar, dashed toward the herd. The terrified rank broke at his charge, and he sprang in among them. Then the cattle scattered like the pieces of a bursting bomb. Away went the chosen victim, but ere she had gone twenty-five yards Lobo was upon her. Seizing her by the neck, he suddenly held back with all his force and so threw her heavily to the ground. The shock must have been tremendous, for the heifer was thrown heels over head. Lobo also turned a somersault, but immediately recovered himself, and his followers falling on the poor cow, killed her in a few seconds. Lobo took no part in the killing--after having thrown the victim, he seemed to say, "Now, why could not some of you have done that at once without wasting so much time?"

   2The man now rode up shouting, the wolves as usual retired, and he, having a bottle of strychnine, quickly poisoned the carcass in three places, then went away, knowing they would return to feed, as they had killed the animal themselves. But next morning, on going to look for his expected victims, he found that, although the wolves had eaten the heifer, they had carefully cut out and thrown aside all those parts that had been poisoned.

   1. Name the claim. Ask: which words in Passage 1 does this anecdote prove? Teacher note: "cunning and strong in proportion to his size" (Passage 1, paragraph 2). Paragraph 1 of Passage 3 shows the strength, and paragraph 2 shows the cunning.
   2. Map the anecdote. With Diagram 2, students name the beginning (the cows stand "with their heads outward" and the pack cannot break in), the middle (Lobo "dashed toward the herd" and throws the heifer) and the end (the cowboy poisons the carcass, and the wolves "carefully cut out and thrown aside all those parts that had been poisoned").
   3. Separate what happened from what Seton adds. Ask: did Lobo really say "Now, why could not some of you have done that at once"? Teacher note: no, Seton writes that Lobo "seemed to say" it. It is Seton's playful guess, and it makes Lobo sound like an impatient boss, which fits the "king" of Passage 1.
   4. Write the analysis sentence together. Model: "Seton illustrates Lobo's strength and cunning with a cowboy's anecdote: Lobo breaks a wall of horns by himself (Passage 3, paragraph 1), and the next morning the pack refuses the poisoned parts of the cow (paragraph 2)."
4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Students read Passage 4 on their own. By now, Seton has come to New Mexico himself to hunt Lobo. He has hidden poison inside lumps of cheese and fat and dropped them along a trail made by dragging meat on a rope (his drag). Words to know: forefoot (front paw), commensurate (in the same large proportion), obscured (partly hidden), stark (stiff and dead), exulted (felt great joy), scanned (looked all over), contempt (the feeling that something is worthless), avail (work, succeed) and vermin (animals treated as pests).

   1The next morning I went forth, eager to know the result. I soon came on the fresh trail of the robbers, with Lobo in the lead--his track was always easily distinguished. An ordinary wolf's forefoot is 4 1/2 inches long, that of a large wolf 4 3/4 inches, but Lobo's, as measured a number of times, was 5 1/2 inches from claw to heel; I afterward found that his other proportions were commensurate, for he stood three feet high at the shoulder, and weighed 150 pounds. His trail, therefore, though obscured by those of his followers, was never difficult to trace. The pack had soon found the track of my drag, and as usual followed it. I could see that Lobo had come to the first bait, sniffed about it, and finally had picked it up.

   2Then I could not conceal my delight. "I've got him at last," I exclaimed; "I shall find him stark within a mile," and I galloped on with eager eyes fixed on the great broad track in the dust. It led me to the second bait and that also was gone. How I exulted--I surely have him now and perhaps several of his band. But there was the broad pawmark still on the drag; and though I stood in the stirrup and scanned the plain I saw nothing that looked like a dead wolf. Again I followed--to find now that the third bait was gone--and the king-wolf's track led on to the fourth, there to learn that he had not really taken a bait at all, but had merely carried them in his mouth, Then having piled the three on the fourth, he scattered filth over them to express his utter contempt for my devices. After this he left my drag and went about his business with the pack he guarded so effectively.

   3This is only one of many similar experiences which convinced me that poison would never avail to destroy this robber, and though I continued to use it while awaiting the arrival of the traps, it was only because it was meanwhile a sure means of killing many prairie wolves and other destructive vermin.

   On the handout, students answer four questions: (1) Which word from Passage 1 do the measurements in paragraph 1 elaborate on, and what do the numbers add? (2) Retell the anecdote in paragraphs 1-2 in three sentences: beginning, middle and end. (3) Seton writes that Lobo scattered filth over the baits "to express his utter contempt for my devices." Is that something Seton saw, or something he decided it meant? What does it add to the picture of Lobo? (4) What does paragraph 3 do with the anecdote?

   Teacher answer notes: (1) "gigantic" or "a giant among wolves" (Passage 1). The numbers turn a claim into proof: Lobo's forefoot was 5 1/2 inches, a full inch longer than an ordinary wolf's 4 1/2 inches, and he weighed 150 pounds. (2) Lobo follows the drag and seems to pick up bait after bait; Seton gallops along, sure he has won; at the fourth bait he finds that Lobo only carried the baits and piled them up. (3) Seton saw the pile; the meaning, contempt, is his own interpretation. It elaborates by giving Lobo something like a sense of humor or pride. (4) It turns the single story into a pattern, "only one of many similar experiences," and explains why Seton gave up on poison for Lobo.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) In one sentence, explain the difference between an example and an anecdote. (2) Complete the frame for Passage 4: "Seton elaborates on Lobo by ___, which adds ___ (paragraph __)."

   Teacher note on history and content: Seton (1860-1946) was a naturalist and artist who later helped found the Boy Scouts of America. In the 1890s, ranchers treated wolves as enemies, and Seton came to New Mexico at a rancher friend's invitation to kill Lobo. The passages keep his words exactly, including "robbers," "vermin" and details of poisoning and of cattle and sheep being killed. Discuss that these words show how ranchers of the time saw wolves; by the middle of the 1900s, hunting, trapping and poison had removed wolves from much of the American West. Seton says in his note to readers that "These stories are true," but also that he "left the strict line of historical truth in many places"; for Lobo he claims "almost no deviation from the truth." The story ends with Lobo's death, which these passages do not include.

   For the quiz: students read Passage 5, printed below. The traps Seton ordered have arrived, and he sets them along the pack's trails. Words to know: insure (make sure of), concealed (hidden), unsprung (not snapped shut), sagacity (wisdom and good judgment), rapine (robbery by force), alliance (a partnership), unassailable (impossible to defeat) and indiscretion (a careless act).

   1At length the wolf traps arrived, and with two men I worked a whole week to get them properly set out. We spared no labor or pains, I adopted every device I could think of that might help to insure success. The second day after the traps arrived, I rode around to inspect, and soon came upon Lobo's trail running from trap to trap. In the dust I could read the whole story of his doings that night. He had trotted along in the darkness, and although the traps were so carefully concealed, he had instantly detected the first one. Stopping the onward march of the pack, he had cautiously scratched around it until he had disclosed the trap, the chain, and the log, then left them wholly exposed to view with the trap still unsprung, and passing on he treated over a dozen traps in the same fashion. Very soon I noticed that he stopped and turned aside as soon as he detected suspicious signs on the trail, and a new plan to outwit him at once suggested itself. I set the traps in the form of an H; that is, with a row of traps on each side of the trail, and one on the trail for the cross-bar of the H. Before long, I had an opportunity to count another failure. Lobo came trotting along the trail, and was fairly between the parallel lines before he detected the single trap in the trail, but he stopped in time, and why or how he knew enough I cannot tell, the Angel of the wild things must have been with him, but without turning an inch to the right or left, he slowly and cautiously backed on his own tracks, putting each paw exactly in its old track until he was off the dangerous ground. Then returning at one side he scratched clods and stones with his hind feet till he had sprung every trap. This he did on many other occasions, and although I varied my methods and redoubled my precautions, he was never deceived, his sagacity seemed never at fault, and he might have been pursuing his career of rapine to-day, but for an unfortunate alliance that proved his ruin and added his name to the long list of heroes who, unassailable when alone, have fallen through the indiscretion of a trusted ally.

   For homework: students read Passage 6, printed below. It comes from part I of the story, before Seton arrived, when the ranchers had put a $1,000 reward on Lobo's head. Words to know: bounty (a reward for killing an animal), veritable (real, true), "loup-garou" (French for werewolf), incantations (magic words), grizzly (here, gray-haired, not a bear), devastator (destroyer), aforetime (before), tributary (a stream that flows into a river), unscathed (unhurt) and vainly (without success).

   1Next year, two other hunters appeared, determined to win the promised bounty. Each believed he could destroy this noted wolf, the first by means of a newly devised poison, which was to be laid out in an entirely new manner; the other a French Canadian, by poison assisted with certain spells and charms, for he firmly believed that Lobo was a veritable "loup-garou," and could not be killed by ordinary means. But cunningly compounded poisons, charms, and incantations were all of no avail against this grizzly devastator. He made his weekly rounds and daily banquets as aforetime, and before many weeks had passed, Calone and Laloche gave up in despair and went elsewhere to hunt.

   2In the spring of 1893, after his unsuccessful attempt to capture Lobo, Joe Calone had a humiliating experience, which seems to show that the big wolf simply scorned his enemies, and had absolute confidence in himself. Calone's farm was on a small tributary of the Currumpaw, in a picturesque canyon, and among the rocks of this very canyon, within a thousand yards of the house, Old Lobo and his mate selected their den and raised their family that season. There they lived all summer and killed Joe's cattle, sheep, and dogs, but laughed at all his poisons and traps and rested securely among the recesses of the cavernous cliffs, while Joe vainly racked his brain for some method of smoking them out, or of reaching them with dynamite. But they escaped entirely unscathed, and continued their ravages as before. "There's where he lived all last summer," said Joe, pointing to the face of the cliff, "and I couldn't do a thing with him. I was like a fool to him."

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which of these sentences about a soccer coach is an anecdote?

   ACoach Ruiz is patient with every single player on her team. BCoach Ruiz has led the girls' team for eleven seasons in a row. CAfter a 6-0 loss, Coach Ruiz sat with the crying goalie until dark. DPlayers on other teams say Coach Ruiz is the calmest coach in the league.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In RI.6.3, what does it mean when an author elaborates on a key individual?

   AThe author adds facts, reasons or later details that develop the picture. BThe author names the individual for the first time, usually near the start. CThe author tells one short story about the individual to show a single trait. DThe author repeats the opening description of the individual in new words.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   An article about a bridge engineer begins: "For thirty years, every car that crossed the Elm River rolled over something Rosa Diaz had drawn by hand." How does the author introduce Rosa Diaz?

   ABy listing the many awards she has won and the years she won them BBy showing how her work touches ordinary drivers every day CBy quoting what the people she worked with say about her DBy telling the story of her very first day on the job

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A writer claims that the town library is always busy. Which sentence supports the claim with an example rather than an anecdote?

   AEvery Saturday, all 40 of its computers are taken by ten in the morning. BOne snowy day, a boy waited outside, then ran in for the last new book. CThe library is one of the busiest places in the whole town right now. DBusy libraries like this one need more staff and longer weekend hours.

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Passage 1 calls Lobo "cunning." Which words from Passage 5 best illustrate that trait?

   A"with two men I worked a whole week to get them properly set out. We spared no labor or pains" B"he slowly and cautiously backed on his own tracks, putting each paw exactly in its old track" C"I set the traps in the form of an H" D"he might have been pursuing his career of rapine to-day, but for an unfortunate alliance"

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Before telling what Lobo did, Seton describes how he and two men "worked a whole week" and "spared no labor or pains" to set the traps. How does this detail elaborate on Lobo?

   AIt shows that Seton was a careless hunter who really deserved to fail. BIt makes Lobo's escape more impressive, since he beat a careful plan. CIt proves that the traps were broken before Lobo ever reached them. DIt shows that Lobo was more afraid of the two men than of the traps.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How does Seton know what Lobo did at the first traps that night?

   AHe hid beside the trail in the dark and watched the pack go by. BOne of the two men who helped him saw the wolves and told him. CHe read the tracks in the dust when he rode out to inspect them. DHe guessed it from the stories the cowboys had told him earlier.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   The second anecdote in Passage 5, about the traps set in the form of an H, has a beginning, a middle and an end. What happens at the end?

   ALobo is caught at last in the single trap in the middle of the trail. BSeton gives up on traps and decides to go back to using poison. CLobo springs every trap by scratching clods and stones onto them. DThe pack runs straight into the two parallel rows of hidden traps.

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What does the sentence that begins "This he did on many other occasions" add to the two anecdotes?

   AIt introduces Lobo to readers for the first time in the whole story. BIt admits that Seton made up the two trap stories to entertain readers. CIt explains that Lobo was finally caught in a trap shaped like an H. DIt shows the stories were not lucky accidents but part of a pattern.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    What does the last part of Passage 5, about "an unfortunate alliance that proved his ruin," do in the story of Lobo?

    AIt sums up Lobo's skill and hints that a partner will cause his fall. BIt introduces a new wolf who is even smarter and stronger than Lobo. CIt tells readers that Lobo escaped every trap for the rest of his life. DIt describes the exact moment when Seton finally captured the wolf.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Seton writes, "why or how he knew enough I cannot tell, the Angel of the wild things must have been with him." What does this admission add to the picture of Lobo?

    AIt proves that angels really do protect wild animals from hunters. BIt shows Lobo's skill was beyond what an expert hunter could explain. CIt shows that Seton never actually saw Lobo's tracks near the traps. DIt shows that Lobo escaped only through luck and not through skill.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Passage 1 introduces Lobo as a "king." Which words from Passage 5 fit that introduction best?

    A"I rode around to inspect" B"the traps were so carefully concealed" C"Stopping the onward march of the pack" D"with a row of traps on each side of the trail"

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Passage 2 says that Lobo's keen scent could "detect the taint of human hands or the poison itself." How does Passage 5 elaborate on that claim?

    AIt shows that Lobo slowly lost his sense of smell as he got much older. BIt shows that the traps had no human scent on them at all that night. CIt shows that Lobo avoided the traps only when his pack warned him first. DIt shows the same sharp senses finding hidden steel traps, not only poison.

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Why does Seton tell a second trap story in Passage 5 instead of stopping after the first one?

    AThe first story is about a different wolf, not about Lobo himself. BThe two stories disagree, and Seton wants readers to pick one of them. CThe second story is the one in which Lobo is finally caught and killed. DThe second plan was built around Lobo's habit, and he beat it anyway.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Passage 1 introduces Lobo as a "king" whose power everyone feels. Write a different opening sentence that introduces Lobo the way Passage 5 shows him: as a careful thinker. Then explain in one or two sentences how your opening would change a reader's first impression.

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16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Passage 5 contains two anecdotes. Choose the first one, about the first night after the traps arrived. Name what it illustrates about Lobo, and list its beginning, middle and end in three short phrases. Quote the passage at least once.

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17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Passage 2 says that Lobo's band "lived and throve in spite of all the efforts of their foes." Explain how Passage 5 elaborates on that sentence. Use one quotation from each passage.

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18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Seton could have written one sentence: "Lobo was too smart for traps." Explain why the anecdotes in Passage 5 are more convincing than that sentence would be.

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19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    A student writes this example about a pet: "Our dog Pepper always finds the treats we hide." Rewrite it as a short anecdote of two or three sentences, then explain what your anecdote shows that the example does not.

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20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    At the end of Passage 5, Seton adds Lobo's name to "the long list of heroes." In Passage 1, Lobo is a "despotic" king who "ravaged" the valley. How does calling Lobo a hero elaborate on, or change, the first picture of him?

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These standards connect to RI.6.3: 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.