Overview

Lesson Procedure

60-75 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Write three sentences on the board and ask students to explain what the last one does to the first.

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "(1) Our team needs more practice. (2) We have lost our last three games in the final five minutes. (3) What we need is not more practice but better conditioning." Sentence 2 adds something to sentence 1, and sentence 3 changes it. What exactly does each one do to the claim?

   Collect answers. Students usually see that sentence 2 is evidence and sentence 3 narrows the claim (not practice in general, but one kind of practice). Name the two moves: sentence 2 develops the claim; sentence 3 refines it. Tell students that RI.9-10.5 asks them to analyze exactly these moves in a real text, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph and section by section.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Part 1: The vocabulary of development. Give students the table below. A sentence or paragraph can do more than one job, and students should always say which words do the job. The margin numbers in each passage count its paragraphs; the Section Guide and Diagram 2 use the essay's own paragraph numbers (1-13).

   What a sentence or paragraph can do to a claim

   Move	Develops or refines?	Signal words to look for
   States the claim	Sets it up	Short, general, often present tense
   Gives a reason or rule	Develops	for, because, it is ... that gives
   Gives an example, story or eyewitness detail	Develops	once, as I was, a noted one
   Offers an analogy	Develops	like, as ... as, just as
   Admits a cost or limit (concession)	Refines	yet, though, however, not ... but
   Redefines a key word	Refines	is not ... then, that is, in other words
   Widens or narrows the audience	Refines	all, every, whoever, only those who
   Raises the stakes	Develops	even, only, never

   Part 2: Model with paragraph 1. Explain the setting: in December 1776 the Continental Army had been driven out of New York and across New Jersey, and many enlistments ended with the year. Paine, who had marched with the army, wrote this essay; the 1894 editor notes that Washington ordered it read to his soldiers. Read Passage 1 aloud, then work through the examples with Diagram 1.

   1THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER," and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

   • Sentences 1-2: the claim is stated, then sharpened

     "THESE are the times that try men's souls." (8 words) is followed by "The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." (33 words)

     Result: Sentence 1 is a general claim about the moment. Sentence 2 refines "try": the trial is a sorting of people into those who shrink and those who stand. The claim changes from "times are hard" to "these hard times will show who is loyal," which gives readers a side to choose.

   • Sentences 3-5: a concession becomes a reason

     "Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." Then: "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."

     Result: Sentence 3 admits the cost ("not easily conquered") and turns it with "yet." Sentence 4 supplies the general rule behind the turn, and sentence 5 applies the rule to "FREEDOM." The claim is developed in three steps: hardship is real, hardship adds value, so freedom is worth the hardship.

   • Sentences 6-7: a key word is redefined

     Britain claims a right "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER," and "if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth." Then: "Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God."

     Result: Sentence 6, the longest (48 words), redefines the quarrel: not a tax dispute ("not only to TAX") but slavery. Sentence 7 raises the stakes again with "Even": the claim is not only unjust but a claim to a power that belongs to God. The paragraph ends further from the first sentence than it began.

   • The paragraph as a whole

     What does paragraph 1 do for the essay?

     Result: It moves from a mood ("times that try") to a definition of the conflict (freedom against slavery). Every later section can lean on it: once readers accept that the stakes are freedom, retreating soldiers and neutral neighbors both look different.

   • A larger portion: Section C (paragraphs 5-6)

     Use the Section Guide and Diagram 2. Section C is the longest section (687 words) and is an eyewitness account: "As I was with the troops at Fort Lee."

     Result: Section C develops the claim of paragraph 2 that "no great deal is lost yet" with firsthand detail about an orderly retreat, and it gives Paine the standing of a man who was there. A whole section can do one job for the essay's claim, just as a sentence does one job for a paragraph.

   Part 3: The whole essay. Hand out the Section Guide and show Diagram 2. Point out that the passages on this page are not in the essay's order: Passage 4 (paragraph 10) comes before Passage 3 (paragraph 11). Ask students to predict, from the guide alone, which section they think carries the essay's main request, and to hold the prediction until the quiz.

   Section A (paragraphs 1-3): the test and the stakes. Paine opens with "THESE are the times that try men's souls," argues that a freedom won at a high price is valued more, admits that independence might have been declared earlier, and says God will not abandon a people who tried to avoid war.

   Section B (paragraph 4): panics. A panic, Paine says, passes quickly, and it works as one of the "touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy": it brings hidden Tories into the open.

   Section C (paragraphs 5-6): the eyewitness report. Beginning "As I was with the troops at Fort Lee," Paine describes the retreat across New Jersey and praises General Washington's steadiness.

   Section D (paragraphs 7-9): the Tories. Printed as Passage 2.

   Section E (paragraph 10): the military outlook. Printed as Passage 4.

   Section F (paragraph 11): the appeal to those who have "nobly stood." Printed as Passage 3.

   Section G (paragraph 12): the offer of mercy. Paine warns that mercy "where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war" and that any state that gave up its arms would be ruined.

   Section H (paragraph 13): the way out. Beginning "I thank God, that I fear not," Paine reviews the army's orderly retreat and its new recruits, then sets "perseverance and fortitude" against "cowardice and submission."

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs read Passage 2 (paragraphs 7-9), where Paine turns to the Tories, and complete Activity 1. Their question: how does Paine's claim about the Tories change from the first paragraph to the third? Circulate and push for precision: "He talks about Tories" is a topic; "He moves from calling every Tory a coward to reasoning with them, then uses one Tory's words to make a point about every parent" traces development and refinement.

   1I shall conclude this paper with some miscellaneous remarks on the state of our affairs; and shall begin with asking the following question, Why is it that the enemy have left the New England provinces, and made these middle ones the seat of war? The answer is easy: New England is not infested with Tories, and we are. I have been tender in raising the cry against these men, and used numberless arguments to show them their danger, but it will not do to sacrifice a world either to their folly or their baseness. The period is now arrived, in which either they or we must change our sentiments, or one or both must fall. And what is a Tory? Good God! what is he? I should not be afraid to go with a hundred Whigs against a thousand Tories, were they to attempt to get into arms. Every Tory is a coward; for servile, slavish, self-interested fear is the foundation of Toryism; and a man under such influence, though he may be cruel, never can be brave.

   2But, before the line of irrecoverable separation be drawn between us, let us reason the matter together: Your conduct is an invitation to the enemy, yet not one in a thousand of you has heart enough to join him. Howe is as much deceived by you as the American cause is injured by you. He expects you will all take up arms, and flock to his standard, with muskets on your shoulders. Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you support him personally, for 'tis soldiers, and not Tories, that he wants.

   3I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories: a noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, "Well! give me peace in my day." Not a man lives on the continent but fully believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;" and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty. Not a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them. A man can distinguish himself between temper and principle, and I am as confident, as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the continent must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.

   Debrief with three questions. (1) In passage paragraph 1, the claim is blunt: "Every Tory is a coward." Which word in passage paragraph 2 signals a change of approach? ("But, before the line of irrecoverable separation be drawn between us, let us reason the matter together.") (2) What does the story of the tavern keeper add that the accusation could not? (A real person, a child, and a sentence readers can picture: "Well! give me peace in my day.") (3) How does Paine's rewrite of the tavern keeper's words ("If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace") turn one man's story into a duty for "every man"? Record the answers on chart paper as a three-step chain: accuse, reason, illustrate and generalize.

4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes

   Students read Passage 3 (paragraph 11) on their own and answer quiz questions 1-14 with the passage and the Section Guide open, then questions 15-20 in writing. Remind them to quote the words that do the work in every answer.

   1Quitting this class of men, I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood, and are yet determined to stand the matter out: I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake. Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands; throw not the burden of the day upon Providence, but "show your faith by your works," that God may bless you. It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether he who does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other. [...]

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: "Choose one sentence from Passage 2. Name the move it makes (use the table from Direct Instruction) and explain in one sentence how it develops or refines Paine's claim about the Tories." Sort the tickets into "names the move only" and "explains the effect on the claim" to plan the next lesson.

   Teacher note on language. The essay is quoted exactly as printed. Paine uses "man" and "men" for people in general, and he calls Britain's claim "slavery" at a time when hundreds of thousands of Black men, women and children were enslaved and slavery was legal in every one of the thirteen states. Invite students to discuss that gap. Passage 3 leaves out the last two sentences of paragraph 11, which insult King George III in crude language; the omission is marked [...].

   Homework passage. Passage 4 is paragraph 10, which comes just before Passage 3. Here Paine turns from the Tories to the army and to what General Howe's campaign means.

   1America did not, nor does not want force; but she wanted a proper application of that force. Wisdom is not the purchase of a day, and it is no wonder that we should err at the first setting off. From an excess of tenderness, we were unwilling to raise an army, and trusted our cause to the temporary defence of a well-meaning militia. A summer's experience has now taught us better; yet with those troops, while they were collected, we were able to set bounds to the progress of the enemy, and, thank God! they are again assembling. I always considered militia as the best troops in the world for a sudden exertion, but they will not do for a long campaign. Howe, it is probable, will make an attempt on this city [Philadelphia]; should he fail on this side the Delaware, he is ruined. If he succeeds, our cause is not ruined. He stakes all on his side against a part on ours; admitting he succeeds, the consequence will be, that armies from both ends of the continent will march to assist their suffering friends in the middle states; for he cannot go everywhere, it is impossible. I consider Howe as the greatest enemy the Tories have; he is bringing a war into their country, which, had it not been for him and partly for themselves, they had been clear of. Should he now be expelled, I wish with all the devotion of a Christian, that the names of Whig and Tory may never more be mentioned; but should the Tories give him encouragement to come, or assistance if he come, I as sincerely wish that our next year's arms may expel them from the continent, and the Congress appropriate their possessions to the relief of those who have suffered in well-doing. A single successful battle next year will settle the whole. America could carry on a two years' war by the confiscation of the property of disaffected persons, and be made happy by their expulsion. Say not that this is revenge, call it rather the soft resentment of a suffering people, who, having no object in view but the good of all, have staked their own all upon a seemingly doubtful event. Yet it is folly to argue against determined hardness; eloquence may strike the ear, and the language of sorrow draw forth the tear of compassion, but nothing can reach the heart that is steeled with prejudice.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which words state the main request of Passage 3?

   A"Let it be told to the future world" B"up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel" C"My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light" D"I love the man that can smile in trouble"

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state." How does this part of the first sentence refine Paine's appeal?

   AIt limits the appeal to the soldiers who are already serving in the army BIt admits that most people who read the essay will not answer the call CIt widens the audience until no reader can think the appeal is for someone else DIt names the particular states that Paine considers the most loyal to the cause

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it." What does this sentence add to the appeal?

   AA reason to act based on how later generations will remember this winter BA report of a battle that the Americans had already won earlier that winter CAn admission that the people of the city and the country disagree about the war DA warning that the hard winter itself will soon bring the war to an end

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How do the two sentences "It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all" and "The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike" develop the appeal?

   AThey introduce a new claim about the taxes Britain has placed on the colonies BThe second repeats the first sentence in nearly the same words, for emphasis CThe first reports a promise that Congress made to people of every rank DThe second makes the first concrete by naming pairs of opposite groups

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What role does "The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy" play in the passage?

   AIt praises the readers who have already joined the army and stayed through the retreat BIt warns of the cost of holding back, developing the appeal through fear of blame CIt concedes that holding back can sometimes be the wiser choice in a long war DIt explains how the army will be fed and supplied through the coming winter months

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   The next two sentences begin "I love the man that can smile in trouble" and "'Tis the business of little minds to shrink." How do they relate to the sentence about "The heart that feels not now"?

   AThey contradict it by excusing the people who shrink back from the danger BThey repeat its warning about cowardice in the same form and the same words CThey set a portrait of the steady man beside the portrait of the coward DThey change the subject from the war to the private lives of ordinary families

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light." What does this sentence do in the structure of the passage?

   AIt ends the argument, telling readers that nothing more needs to be said about it BIt admits that the reasoning which follows will be hard for many readers to follow CIt repeats the earlier claim that the future world will remember this winter DIt signals a shift from appeals to feeling to a step-by-step argument that follows

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Paine writes that nothing "could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder," before he describes the thief. How does this clause refine his claim?

   AIt narrows his support to a war of self-defense, which the thief analogy then describes BIt shows that he opposes the war against Britain, because he thinks that every war is murder CIt proves that the British army has already committed murder in the Jerseys DIt widens his claim so that it supports every kind of war, offensive or defensive

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "What signifies it to me, whether he who does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them?" What does this question do to the thief analogy?

   AIt shows that Paine is not sure whether the king himself is to blame for the war BIt asks readers to decide which of the three kinds of wrongdoer is the very worst one CIt removes the differences that might excuse a king, so the analogy applies to Britain DIt changes the subject from Britain's army to ordinary crime in the colonies

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    What is the role of the last sentence of the excerpt: "If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other"?

    AIt raises a new objection to the analogy, one that Paine leaves without any answer at all BIt draws the conclusion of the analogy: the king deserves the same resistance as any thief CIt admits that in the end the thief should be pardoned rather than punished DIt returns to the praise of the steady man who can smile in trouble and grow brave

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which description best fits the order of Passage 3 as a whole?

    AAn eyewitness account of the retreat, followed by a list of the lessons it teaches BA definition of the Tories, followed by examples of their conduct in the Jerseys CA plan for raising a new army, followed by an estimate of what it will cost DAn appeal, then portraits of the coward and the steady man, then an analogy

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In Passage 3 the thief sets out to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his will. Which earlier sentence does this echo, and what does the echo do to the claim?

    ABritain's claim in paragraph 1; the legal claim becomes a crime against one home BThe tavern keeper's "give me peace in my day"; it shows Paine now agrees with him C"The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot"; it shows that soldiers are thieves D"Wisdom is not the purchase of a day"; it admits that Americans have made mistakes

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Passage 3 opens with "Quitting this class of men, I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood." Using the Section Guide, what does this opening show about how Paine builds the essay?

    AIt returns to the eyewitness account of the retreat that Paine gave in Section C BIt announces that the essay is about to end, since only a few lines remain CIt closes the material on the Tories and turns to a new audience DIt shows that paragraph 11 continues the same argument about Howe's army

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    According to the Section Guide, the essay ends with Section H, which sets "perseverance and fortitude" against "cowardice and submission." Which earlier sentence of the essay does this ending most directly develop?

    A"Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated." B"The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country" C"Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you support him personally, for 'tis soldiers, and not Tories, that he wants." D"A single successful battle next year will settle the whole."

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Explain how the first two sentences of Passage 3 develop Paine's appeal. Quote at least two phrases and name the move each one makes.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Paine writes "Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands." What objection is he answering, and how does the sentence refine his appeal?

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Analyze how the thief analogy (from "Not all the treasures of the world" to "pardon in the other") develops and refines Paine's claim that Americans should fight. Refer to at least three sentences.

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18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Why might Paine place the appeals to honor and shame before the "line of reasoning" instead of after it? Explain the effect of this order on readers in December 1776.

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19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Using the Section Guide, explain how Section F (Passage 3) prepares for Section G, where Paine warns that Howe's offer of mercy "is only a trick of war." Quote Passage 3.

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20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Choose one sentence in Passage 3 that you think does the most to develop Paine's claim. Explain what move it makes and what the passage would lose without it.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RI.9-10.5: 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.