Overview

Lesson Procedure

60-70 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

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

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "A classmate starts wearing sunglasses indoors every day and will not say why. List three explanations people might give. For each, what would count as proof? Is there any explanation you could never prove or rule out?"

   Collect explanations and ask which ones rest on evidence and which on gossip. Then ask what a fair observer could honestly say. Guide students to a three-part answer: what we know (the sunglasses), what we might reasonably suspect, and what we cannot tell. Tell students that today's story is built exactly this way, and that the standard asks them to cite evidence for all three parts.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Set the scene. Earlier that Sunday, the Reverend Mr. Hooper, a mild and respected minister of about thirty, came to church with a veil of black crape (a thin, crinkled fabric) covering his face above the mouth, and preached on "secret sin." The excerpt begins as the service ends.

   Three kinds of claim.

   • Settled (explicit): the text states it. Cite the exact words.
   • Suggested (inference): the text supports it without stating it. Cite several details and explain how they add up.
   • Left open (uncertain): the text raises a question and deliberately does not answer it, or gives evidence for rival answers. Cite the words that raise the question, the evidence on each side and the gap.

   Watch who is speaking. Hawthorne's narrator often reports what villagers said, asks questions instead of answering them, or says something he does not mean. A character's opinion or a rumor is evidence of what people believed, not of what is true. Short glossary: sagacious (claiming wisdom), vagary (odd whim), wont (in the habit of), settlement (his arrival as the village's minister).

   1At the close of the services the people hurried out with indecorous confusion, eager to communicate their pent-up amazement, and conscious of lighter spirits the moment they lost sight of the black veil. Some gathered in little circles, huddled closely together, with their mouths all whispering in the centre; some went homeward alone, wrapped in silent meditation; some talked loudly and profaned the Sabbath-day with ostentatious laughter. A few shook their sagacious heads, intimating that they could penetrate the mystery, while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all, but only that Mr. Hooper’s eyes were so weakened by the midnight lamp as to require a shade.

   2After a brief interval forth came good Mr. Hooper also, in the rear of his flock. Turning his veiled face from one group to another, he paid due reverence to the hoary heads, saluted the middle-aged with kind dignity as their friend and spiritual guide, greeted the young with mingled authority and love, and laid his hands on the little children’s heads to bless them. Such was always his custom on the Sabbath-day. Strange and bewildered looks repaid him for his courtesy. None, as on former occasions, aspired to the honor of walking by their pastor’s side. Old Squire Saunders—doubtless by an accidental lapse of memory—neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table, where the good clergyman had been wont to bless the food almost every Sunday since his settlement. He returned, therefore, to the parsonage, and at the moment of closing the door was observed to look back upon the people, all of whom had their eyes fixed upon the minister. A sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil and flickered about his mouth, glimmering as he disappeared.

   3“How strange,” said a lady, “that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper’s face!”

   4“Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects,” observed her husband, the physician of the village. “But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face, throws its influence over his whole person and makes him ghost-like from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?”

   5“Truly do I,” replied the lady; “and I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself.”

   6“Men sometimes are so,” said her husband.

   • Settled: the text states it

     What does paragraph 2 state about Mr. Hooper's conduct toward his people after the service?

     Result: He greets them as always: he "paid due reverence to the hoary heads" and "laid his hands on the little children's heads to bless them." The next sentence settles the point: "Such was always his custom on the Sabbath-day." What has changed is the veil, not his manners.

   • Suggested: the text supports an inference

     Paragraph 1 says the people were "conscious of lighter spirits the moment they lost sight of the black veil." What can a reader infer?

     Result: The veil weighed on them for the whole service, since relief begins exactly when it is out of sight. The "little circles, huddled closely together" with "mouths all whispering" support this: they need to say out of its presence what they could not say in it.

   • Left open: the text does not decide

     "A few shook their sagacious heads, intimating that they could penetrate the mystery, while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all" (paragraph 1). Does the narrator settle what the veil means?

     Result: No. He reports two opposite views and endorses neither. The few only hint ("intimating") that they understand and never say what; the one or two offer a dull practical reason. The meaning of the veil is left open on purpose, and this sentence is the evidence.

   • Strong and thorough

     Claim: the veil unsettles even people who think of themselves as rational. Support it thoroughly from paragraphs 4-5.

     Result: The village physician admits "the effect of this vagary even on a sober-minded man like myself" and asks his wife, "Do you not feel it so?" (paragraph 4). She answers, "I would not be alone with him for the world" (paragraph 5). Two educated witnesses, one who calls himself "sober-minded," both feel a fear they cannot explain.

   Model the sentence. Write on the board: "The text states ___ (paragraph __). It suggests ___, because ___ and ___ (paragraphs __ and __). It leaves open ___: on one side ___; on the other ___; and the text never ___." Students will use this frame through the rest of the lesson.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Read the second excerpt aloud. Pairs mark it in three colors: settled, suggested and left open. Model these three sentences with the class first, asking pairs to classify each before you confirm:

   1The afternoon service was attended with similar circumstances. At its conclusion the bell tolled for the funeral of a young lady. The relatives and friends were assembled in the house and the more distant acquaintances stood about the door, speaking of the good qualities of the deceased, when their talk was interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Hooper, still covered with his black veil. It was now an appropriate emblem. The clergyman stepped into the room where the corpse was laid, and bent over the coffin to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eye-lids had not been closed for ever, the dead maiden might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil? A person who watched the interview between the dead and living scrupled not to affirm that at the instant when the clergyman’s features were disclosed the corpse had slightly shuddered, rustling the shroud and muslin cap, though the countenance retained the composure of death. A superstitious old woman was the only witness of this prodigy.

   2From the coffin Mr. Hooper passed into the chamber of the mourners, and thence to the head of the staircase, to make the funeral prayer. It was a tender and heart-dissolving prayer, full of sorrow, yet so imbued with celestial hopes that the music of a heavenly harp swept by the fingers of the dead seemed faintly to be heard among the saddest accents of the minister. The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him, when he prayed that they and himself, and all of mortal race, might be ready, as he trusted this young maiden had been, for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces. The bearers went heavily forth and the mourners followed, saddening all the street, with the dead before them and Mr. Hooper in his black veil behind.

   3“Why do you look back?” said one in the procession to his partner.

   4“I had a fancy,” replied she, “that the minister and the maiden’s spirit were walking hand in hand.”

   5“And so had I at the same moment,” said the other.

   1. "The relatives and friends were assembled in the house and the more distant acquaintances stood about the door, speaking of the good qualities of the deceased" (paragraph 1). Teacher note: settled. The narrator states who was present and what they were doing; nothing here is reported secondhand or hedged.
   2. "It was a tender and heart-dissolving prayer, full of sorrow, yet so imbued with celestial hopes" (paragraph 2). Teacher note: settled as a description, and it supports an inference. The narrator states that the prayer was tender and hopeful, which suggests that Hooper is still the gentle minister of the morning, whatever the veil means.
   3. "The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him" (paragraph 2). Teacher note: settled, the people trembled and understood him only partly. Suggested, the prayer touched a fear they could not put into words; the word "darkly" also echoes the dark veil. Ask pairs which part of the sentence they could prove and which they are reading into it.

   Pairs then classify every remaining sentence of the excerpt on their own, and mark each "left open" sentence with the words that keep it open. Compare two pairs' charts before moving on.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Some weeks later, Elizabeth, the woman Hooper is engaged to marry, is the only person in the village who asks him directly about the veil. Students read the third excerpt on their own and complete the three-column chart: at least two sentences in each column, with paragraph numbers. Then they write one paragraph, using the board frame, on the question "What does Elizabeth learn about the veil?" The quiz questions on all three excerpts work as a check once students finish.

   1“No,” said she, aloud, and smiling, “there is nothing terrible in this piece of crape, except that it hides a face which I am always glad to look upon. Come, good sir; let the sun shine from behind the cloud. First lay aside your black veil, then tell me why you put it on.”

   2Mr. Hooper’s smile glimmered faintly.

   3“There is an hour to come,” said he, “when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then.”

   4“Your words are a mystery too,” returned the young lady. “Take away the veil from them, at least.”

   5“Elizabeth, I will,” said he, “so far as my vow may suffer me. Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn. This dismal shade must separate me from the world; even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it.”

   6“What grievous affliction hath befallen you,” she earnestly inquired, “that you should thus darken your eyes for ever?”

   7“If it be a sign of mourning,” replied Mr. Hooper, “I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil.”

   8“But what if the world will not believe that it is the type of an innocent sorrow?” urged Elizabeth. “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin. For the sake of your holy office do away this scandal.”

   9The color rose into her cheeks as she intimated the nature of the rumors that were already abroad in the village. But Mr. Hooper’s mildness did not forsake him. He even smiled again—that same sad smile which always appeared like a faint glimmering of light proceeding from the obscurity beneath the veil.

   10“If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough,” he merely replied; “and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” And with this gentle but unconquerable obstinacy did he resist all her entreaties.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name one matter the three excerpts leave uncertain, and quote the words that keep it open. (2) In one sentence, explain why "the text leaves this uncertain" is a claim that needs evidence, not a way to avoid answering.

   Teacher note on language: Hawthorne writes in a deliberately old-fashioned style for a story set in colonial New England: "hath," "wont," "hoary heads" (white-haired elders) and "Sabbath-day" are kept as published. The tale touches on death and a funeral; preview it with any student who has had a recent loss. The Dickinson poem for homework is printed as its first editors published it in 1890, with their title and punctuation; later editions restore Dickinson's own wording and dashes, so students who find another version online should expect differences.

   For homework: students read the poem below, which the homework uses.

   1Because I could not stop for Death,
   He kindly stopped for me;
   The carriage held but just ourselves
   And Immortality.

   5We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
   And I had put away
   My labor, and my leisure too,
   For his civility.

   We passed the school where children played,
   10Their lessons scarcely done;
   We passed the fields of gazing grain,
   We passed the setting sun.

   We paused before a house that seemed
   A swelling of the ground;
   15The roof was scarcely visible,
   The cornice but a mound.

   Since then 't is centuries; but each
   Feels shorter than the day
   I first surmised the horses' heads
   20Were toward eternity.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   RL.11-12.1 asks students to determine "where the text leaves matters uncertain." What does that require?

   ADeciding what the author secretly intended and stating it as the answer BSkipping passages that are hard to understand on a first reading CIdentifying questions the text does not settle and citing the words that leave them open DPointing out mistakes the author made by forgetting to explain events

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In the first excerpt, what does paragraph 2 say Mr. Hooper did at the moment of closing the parsonage door?

   AHe looked back at the people, who all had their eyes fixed on him. BHe lifted the veil for a moment to look at the people more clearly. CHe called out to Squire Saunders to ask why he had not been invited. DHe shut the door quickly without turning around to face the people.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Old Squire Saunders, doubtless by an accidental lapse of memory, neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table" (first excerpt, paragraph 2; the original sets the middle phrase off with dashes). What does the word "doubtless" most likely signal?

   AThe narrator is certain that the Squire has a poor memory because of his age. BThe Squire has forgotten that Mr. Hooper usually blesses the food at his house. CThe narrator doubts that the Squire has ever invited Mr. Hooper before. DThe narrator is being ironic, hinting that the Squire leaves Hooper out on purpose, though the text never says so outright.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   The lady says, "I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself," and her husband answers, "Men sometimes are so" (first excerpt, paragraphs 5-6). What does the husband's reply suggest, and what does it leave open?

   AIt shows that the physician has decided Hooper is dangerous, and it settles that the veil hides a crime. BIt suggests that a person may have reason to fear what is inside him, but it names nothing and says nothing certain about Hooper. CIt shows that the physician is joking, and it settles that the couple are not really frightened of the veil. DIt suggests that Hooper fears being alone at night, and it settles that he wears the veil for protection.

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "A person who watched the interview between the dead and living scrupled not to affirm that ... the corpse had slightly shuddered" (second excerpt, paragraph 1). What does "scrupled not to affirm" mean here?

   ARefused to say BWhispered in secret CDid not hesitate to declare DWrote down carefully

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   The same paragraph ends, "A superstitious old woman was the only witness of this prodigy." How does this sentence affect the claim that the corpse shuddered?

   AIt leaves the claim uncertain: the narrator reports it but gives the reader a reason to doubt its only witness, without denying it. BIt proves the claim, because the narrator names an eyewitness who saw the event. CIt shows the claim is false, because the narrator says outright that the corpse did not move. DIt shows the claim is a dream, because the old woman fell asleep at the funeral.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil?" (second excerpt, paragraph 1). What does the narrator do in this sentence?

   AHe states that Mr. Hooper was afraid the dead woman would see his face. BHe reports a rumor that the mourners spread after the funeral. CHe shows that Mr. Hooper knew the dead woman had loved him. DHe raises a possible reason as a question and leaves it unanswered, while treating the hasty movement as fact.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   At the funeral the narrator says of the veil, "It was now an appropriate emblem" (second excerpt, paragraph 1). Why "now"?

   ABecause Mr. Hooper had explained the veil to the mourners before the funeral began BBecause black crape was worn for mourning, so at a funeral the veil fit the occasion, as it had not at the Sunday service CBecause the dead young lady had asked in her will for the minister to wear a veil DBecause the veil had been cleaned and pressed for the afternoon service

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In his funeral prayer, Hooper prays that all "might be ready ... for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces" (second excerpt, paragraph 2). What does "the dreadful hour" most likely refer to?

   AThe moment when the congregation will force him to remove his own veil BThe hour at which the funeral procession is due to leave the house CThe hour of death and judgment, when whatever people hide will be exposed DThe time each evening when the village gathers to talk about the veil

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which of these does the second excerpt present as fact, not as a question, a report or a fancy?

    AThe corpse shuddered when Mr. Hooper's face was uncovered. BWhen Mr. Hooper bent over the coffin, the veil hung straight down from his forehead. CThe minister and the maiden's spirit walked hand in hand behind the coffin. DMr. Hooper was afraid that the dead woman would see his face.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In the third excerpt, what does Mr. Hooper state explicitly about how he will wear the veil?

    AHe will take it off once the rumors in the village have stopped. BHe will wear it only in church, as a lesson for his congregation. CHe will remove it for Elizabeth after they are married. DHe will wear it always, alone and in company, and no one will see it removed.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Hooper answers Elizabeth: "If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough ... and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?" (third excerpt, paragraph 10). What does this answer leave uncertain?

    AWhether the veil stands for sorrow or for sin: he accepts both possibilities and confirms neither. BWhether he loves Elizabeth, since he refuses to answer her questions. CWhether the villagers have heard any rumors about the veil. DWhether he will keep wearing the veil after this conversation.

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Elizabeth warns, "there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin. For the sake of your holy office do away this scandal" (third excerpt, paragraph 8). Which inference about Elizabeth is best supported?

    AShe believes Hooper is guilty of a secret sin and wants him to confess it. BShe is angry that he preached a sermon about secret sin. CShe fears what the rumors will do to his reputation as a minister, even if the cause is innocent. DShe has started the rumors herself to force him to remove the veil.

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    "Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol" (third excerpt, paragraph 5). What does Hooper state here, and what does he hold back?

    AHe states that the veil hides a scar, and he holds back how he was injured. BHe states that the veil stands for something, and he holds back what it stands for. CHe states that the veil is a sign of mourning, and he holds back who has died. DHe states that the veil is only cloth, and he holds back why the villagers fear it.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which quotation from the third excerpt is the strongest evidence for the claim that wearing the veil costs Hooper something he values?

    A"This dismal shade must separate me from the world; even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it" (paragraph 5) B"Mr. Hooper's smile glimmered faintly" (paragraph 2) C"Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then" (paragraph 3) D"But Mr. Hooper's mildness did not forsake him" (paragraph 9)

16. Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A lady says it is strange "that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper's face!" (first excerpt, paragraph 3). What does her remark suggest about the veil's power?

    AThe veil must be made of an unusual, frightening material. BWomen in the village never wear black veils, so the sight is new to everyone. CThe lady is jealous that the minister wears something meant for women. DThe object itself is ordinary, so its power comes from where it is worn and what people imagine.

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    From the third excerpt, paragraphs 1 and 4, what can you infer about Elizabeth's relationship with Hooper and her way of dealing with the veil? Cite at least two details and explain the reasoning.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    After the funeral, one mourner asks another, "Why do you look back?" and learns they both had "a fancy ... that the minister and the maiden's spirit were walking hand in hand" (second excerpt, paragraphs 3-5). What does the text settle here, and what does it leave uncertain? Is the agreement of two mourners strong evidence?

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    In the third excerpt, Hooper's "smile glimmered faintly" (paragraph 2), and later he smiled "that same sad smile which always appeared like a faint glimmering of light proceeding from the obscurity beneath the veil" (paragraph 9). What can a reader infer from the smile, and what does it leave uncertain?

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    The narrator calls the minister "good Mr. Hooper" (first excerpt, paragraph 2). Using evidence from at least two excerpts, write a paragraph on whether the text settles that Hooper is good. Include evidence on both sides and say what, if anything, the text leaves uncertain.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RL.11-12.1: 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.