Overview

Lesson Procedure

55-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

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

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of a song, a movie, a book or a poem about someone who breaks a promise. What happens to that person? If the same idea were told in a song and in a movie, what would each one do differently?"

   Collect a few examples on the board. Then write two words: topic (what a text is about, in a word or phrase, such as "a broken promise") and theme (what the text suggests about life, in a sentence, such as "People who break their promises often pay a price"). Point out that the same topic can show up in a song, a film, a poem and a novel, and each one handles it in its own way. RL.6.9 asks students to find what two such texts share, then explain the differences in how they approach it.

2. Direct Instruction15-20 minutes

   Terms to know:

   • Form: the basic shape of a text. The three main literary forms are poems (written in lines, often grouped in stanzas), stories (written in sentences and paragraphs of prose) and dramas (plays written to be performed).
   • Genre: a kind of story with its own usual features. A fairy tale or legend is an old story passed down over time. A fable is a very short story, often with animal characters, that ends with a moral (a lesson stated in words). A historical novel is a long made-up story set in a real time and place in the past. A fantasy story includes magic or impossible creatures.
   • Topic: what a text is about, in a word or phrase: "friendship," "a broken promise." Theme: what a text suggests about life, stated as a full sentence: "True friends stand by you when things go wrong."
   • Approach: how a text handles its theme or topic: the events it chooses, its characters and setting, its tone (the writer's attitude, such as serious or funny) and its language and sound.
   • Rhyme: words ending with the same sound ("wink" and "brink"). Rhythm: a regular beat in lines of poetry. Narrator: the voice that tells a story.
   • Compare: explain how texts are alike. Contrast: explain how they are different. RL.6.9 asks for both.

   Introduce the legend. In the German town of Hamelin, the story goes, a stranger in a coat of many colors ("pied" means patched with different colors) offers to rid the town of its rats for a price. He plays his pipe, the rats follow him into the river and drown, and then the town refuses to pay. Robert Browning (1812-1889), an English poet, told the legend in rhyme in 1842. The story version comes from Joseph Jacobs's More English Fairy Tales (1894), which retells an English legend of the same kind set in the town of Franchville (now Newtown) on the Isle of Wight. Jacobs's note says the reteller borrowed "a couple of touches from Browning," so look for places where the two sound alike.

   Words to know for the poem: guilders (Dutch and German gold coins), the Corporation (the town council), quoth (said), vermin (pests such as rats), poke (a small bag), thrifty (careful with money), trifling (fooling around), Bagdat (Baghdad), pottage (a thick soup), Caliph (a ruler), bate a stiver (take off even one small coin), brook (put up with), ribald (a rude, worthless person), vesture piebald (clothes of patched colors), justling (jostling, pushing), flaxen (pale yellow). For the story: to hum and to ha (to hesitate and make excuses), vagabond (a wanderer with no home), resonant (deep and ringing).

   1You should have heard the Hamelin people
   Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple.
   "Go," cried the Mayor, "and get long poles,
   Poke out the nests and block up the holes!
   5Consult with carpenters and builders,
   And leave in our town not even a trace
   Of the rats!"--when suddenly, up the face
   Of the Piper perked in the market-place,
   With a, "First, if you please, my thousand guilders!"

   [...]
   10A thousand guilders! The Mayor looked blue;
   So did the Corporation, too.
   [...]
   To pay this sum to a wandering fellow
   With a [...] coat of red and yellow!
   "Beside," quoth the Mayor with a knowing wink,
   15"Our business was done at the river's brink;
   We saw with our eyes the vermin sink,
   And what's dead can't come to life, I think.
   So, friend, we're not the folks to shrink
   From the duty of giving you something for drink,
   20And a matter of money to put in your poke;
   But as for the guilders, what we spoke
   Of them, as you very well know, was in joke.
   Beside, our losses have made us thrifty.
   A thousand guilders! Come, take fifty!"

   [...]
   25The Piper's face fell, and he cried,
   "No trifling! I can't wait, beside!
   I've promised to visit by dinner-time
   Bagdat, and accept the prime
   Of the Head-Cook's pottage, all he's rich in,
   30For having left, in the Caliph's kitchen,
   Of a nest of scorpions no survivor:
   With him I proved no bargain-driver,
   With you, don't think I'll bate a stiver!
   And folks who put me in a passion
   35May find me pipe after another fashion."

   [...]
   "How?" cried the Mayor, "d'ye think I brook
   Being worse treated than a Cook?
   Insulted by a lazy ribald
   With idle pipe and vesture piebald?
   40You threaten us, fellow? Do your worst,
   Blow your pipe there till you burst!"

   [...]
   Once more he stept into the street,
   And to his lips again
   Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane;
   45And ere he blew three notes (such sweet
   Soft notes as yet musician's cunning
   Never gave the enraptured air)
   There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling
   Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling;
   50Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
   Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering,
   And, like fowls in a farmyard when barley is scattering,
   Out came the children running.
   All the little boys and girls,
   55With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,
   And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls,
   Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after
   The wonderful music with shouting and laughter.

   1The tide rose again, and the Piper stepped on shore, but never a rat followed. You may fancy the townsfolk had been throwing up their caps and hurrahing and stopping up rat holes and setting the church bells a-ringing. But when the Piper stepped ashore and not so much as a single squeak was to be heard, the Mayor and the Council, and the townsfolk generally, began to hum and to ha and to shake their heads.

   2For the town money chest had been sadly emptied of late, and where was the fifty pounds to come from? Such an easy job, too! Just getting into a boat and playing a pipe! Why the Mayor himself could have done that if only he had thought of it.

   3So he hummed and ha'ad and at last, "Come, my good man," said he, "you see what poor folk we are; how can we manage to pay you fifty pounds? Will you not take twenty? When all is said and done, 't will be good pay for the trouble you've taken."

   4"Fifty pounds was what I bargained for," said the piper shortly; "and if I were you I'd pay it quickly. For I can pipe many kinds of tunes, as folk sometimes find to their cost."

   5"Would you threaten us, you strolling vagabond?" shrieked the Mayor, and at the same time he winked to the Council; "the rats are all dead and drowned," muttered he; and so "You may do your worst, my good man," and with that he turned short upon his heel.

   6"Very well," said the Piper, and he smiled a quiet smile. With that he laid his pipe to his lips afresh, but now there came forth no shrill notes, as it were, of scraping and gnawing, and squeaking and scurrying, but the tune was joyous and resonant, full of happy laughter and merry play. And as he paced down the streets the elders mocked, but from school-room and play-room, from nursery and workshop, not a child but ran out with eager glee and shout following gaily at the Piper's call. Dancing, laughing, joining hands and tripping feet, the bright throng moved along up Gold Street and down Silver Street, and beyond Silver Street lay the cool green forest full of old oaks and wide-spreading beeches. In and out among the oak-trees you might catch glimpses of the Piper's many-coloured coat. You might hear the laughter of the children break and fade and die away as deeper and deeper into the lone green wood the stranger went and the children followed.

   • Compare: the shared topic and theme

     What topic do the poem and the story share, and what theme do both suggest?

     Result: Topic: a town that refuses to pay what it promised. In the poem, the Mayor turns the promised "thousand guilders" into an offer of fifty (line 24); in the story, he tries to pay twenty of the "fifty pounds" he promised (paragraph 3). In both, the Piper answers by leading the children away. Theme: people who break their promises can pay a far higher price than the one they tried to avoid. Both texts suggest it without stating it in these excerpts.

   • Contrast the approach: the Mayor's excuse

     How does each text show the Mayor wriggling out of the bargain?

     Result: The poem makes the excuse funny through rhyme: the Mayor says the promise was only "in joke" (line 22), and "thrifty" rhymes with "fifty" (lines 23-24), so the rhymes make him sound silly as well as greedy. The story's narrator explains the Mayor's thinking in plain prose: "Such an easy job, too! Just getting into a boat and playing a pipe!" (paragraph 2). The poem lets readers laugh at the Mayor's words; the story lets them see inside his head.

   • Compare: a borrowed warning

     Find the Piper's warning in each text. How are the two alike?

     Result: Poem: "folks who put me in a passion / May find me pipe after another fashion" (lines 34-35). Story: "I can pipe many kinds of tunes, as folk sometimes find to their cost" (paragraph 4). Both Pipers warn, calmly and a little mysteriously, that they have another kind of music. This is likely one of the "touches from Browning" the reteller borrowed. The warning matters to the theme, because the town is told the price of breaking its word and ignores it.

   • Contrast the approach: the children follow the Piper

     Both texts show the children running after the music. How does each form handle the moment?

     Result: The poem uses sound: a list of rhyming words, "Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering, / Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering" (lines 50-51), so readers almost hear the crowd. The story uses one long, flowing sentence of motion, "Dancing, laughing, joining hands and tripping feet, the bright throng moved along" (paragraph 6), and then follows the children into "the lone green wood." The poem's approach is noisy and quick; the story's is smooth and ends in a sad, quiet fading away.

   Two questions for every pair (Diagram 2). Compare: What topic do both texts share, and what theme do both suggest? Contrast: How does each form or genre approach that theme: through what events, characters, setting, tone, language or sound? Sentence frames: "Both ___ and ___ are about ___, and both suggest that ___." and "The poem/novel/fantasy shows this through ___ (line/paragraph __), while the story shows it through ___ (paragraph __)."

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs fill in Diagram 1 with the class, row by row, rereading both Pied Piper texts. Ask each question before revealing the teacher note.

   1. The price. What did each town promise, and what does each Mayor offer instead? Teacher note: the poem's town promised "a thousand guilders," and the Mayor says "Come, take fifty!" (line 24). The story's town promised "fifty pounds," and the Mayor asks, "Will you not take twenty?" (paragraph 3). The details differ, but the event is the same: the town tries to pay only a small part of what it owes.
   2. The Piper's reaction. How does the Piper react in each text? Teacher note: in the poem, "The Piper's face fell" and he says he has no time for "trifling" (lines 25-26); he adds a boast about ridding the Caliph's kitchen of scorpions, which gives the poem a playful, faraway feeling. In the story, he answers "shortly" and later "smiled a quiet smile" (paragraphs 4 and 6). The story's Piper seems calm and a little frightening; the poem's is more of a showman.
   3. The shared theme. Write one theme sentence that fits both texts, and name one way each form helps readers feel it. Teacher note: a sample answer is "Breaking a promise can cost far more than keeping it." The poem makes readers feel the Mayor's foolishness through comic rhymes; the story makes readers feel the loss through its ending, as the children's laughter fades "deeper and deeper into the lone green wood" (paragraph 6).

   Each pair then writes three sentences: one comparing the two texts' topic or theme, one contrasting how the poem and the story approach it, and one explaining which approach made the theme stronger for them. Each sentence needs a line or paragraph number.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Students now work on their own with the standard's second example: a historical novel and a fantasy story. Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was an American writer and illustrator. Men of Iron (1891) is set in England in the early 1400s. Myles Falworth, a teenage boy, has just arrived at a great castle to train as a squire (a young man learning to be a knight). The older squires, called the bachelors, bully the new boys and make them fetch water and clean armor. Myles has already refused once. Frank R. Stockton (1834-1902) was an American writer of funny fantasy tales. "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" is set in "a quiet town of a far-away land" with an old church. A real griffin (a monster with wings, claws and a long tail) has flown there to see the stone carving of himself over the church door, and the whole town is terrified.

   Words to know for Men of Iron: thou, thee, thy (old forms of "you" and "your"), penance (a punishment you accept for doing wrong), scour (scrub clean), breastplate (armor for the chest), yon (that), an I list (if I want), cockerel (a young rooster), clog (a thick wooden sole strapped under a shoe), tumultuously (wildly), quelled (stopped, calmed), knave (a rascal), nigh (near), brain (hit on the head), prestige (high standing). For the Griffin story: extraordinary (very unusual), Minor Canon (a junior priest of a large church), subordinate (lower in rank), disposition (nature, character), woful (an old spelling of woeful, very sad), summons (an order to come).

   1“Nay,” said Blunt, “thou goest not forth from the castle to-day. Hast thou forgot how thou didst answer me back about fetching the water this morning? This day thou must do penance, so go thou straight to the armory and scour thou up my breastplate.”

   [...]

   2Gascoyne and Wilkes, accepting Myles's punishment as a thing of course, were about to leave the dormitory when Myles checked them.

   3“Stop, Francis!” he cried, hoarsely. “Thinkest thou that I will stay behind to do yon dog's dirty work? No; I go with ye.”

   4A moment or two of dumb, silent amazement followed his bold words; then Blunt cried, “Art thou mad?”

   5“Nay,” answered Myles in the same hoarse voice, “I am not mad. I tell thee a better man than thou shouldst not stay me from going an I list to go.

   6“I will break thy cockerel head for that speech,” said Blunt, furiously. He stooped as he spoke, and picked up a heavy clog that lay at his feet.

   7[...] As the older lad advanced, Gascoyne stepped between him and his victim.

   8“Do not harm him, Blunt,” he pleaded. “Bear thou in mind how new-come he is among us. He knoweth not our ways as yet.”

   9“Stand thou back, Gascoyne,” said Blunt, harshly, as he thrust him aside. “I will teach him our ways so that he will not soon forget them.”

   10Close to Myles's feet was another clog like that one which Blunt held. He snatched it up, and set his back against the wall, with a white face and a heart beating heavily and tumultuously, but with courage steeled to meet the coming encounter. There was a hard, grim look in his blue eyes that, for a moment perhaps, quelled the elder lad. He hesitated. “Tom! Wat! Ned!” he called to the other bachelors, “come hither, and lend me a hand with this knave.”

   11“An ye come nigh me,” panted Myles, “I will brain the first within reach.”

   12Then Gascoyne dodged behind the others, and, without being seen, slipped out of the room for help.

   [...]

   13Myles fought like a wild-cat, kicking, struggling, scratching; striking with elbows and fists. He caught one of the three by his collar, and tore his jacket open from the neck to the waist; he drove his foot into the pit of the stomach of another, and knocked him breathless. The other lads not in the fight stood upon the benches and the beds around, but such was the awe inspired by the prestige of the bachelors that not one of them dared to lend hand to help him, and so Myles fought his fierce battle alone.

   1The news of his coming spread quickly over the town, and the people, frightened nearly out of their wits by the arrival of so extraordinary a visitor, fled into their houses, and shut themselves up. The Griffin called loudly for some one to come to him, but the more he called, the more afraid the people were to show themselves. At length he saw two laborers hurrying to their homes through the fields, and in a terrible voice he commanded them to stop. Not daring to disobey, the men stood, trembling.

   2"What is the matter with you all?" cried the Griffin. "Is there not a man in your town who is brave enough to speak to me?"

   3"I think," said one of the laborers, his voice shaking so that his words could hardly be understood, "that--perhaps--the Minor Canon--would come."

   4"Go, call him, then!" said the Griffin; "I want to see him."

   5The Minor Canon, who filled a subordinate position in the old church, had just finished the afternoon services, and was coming out of a side door, with three aged women who had formed the week-day congregation. He was a young man of a kind disposition, and very anxious to do good to the people of the town. Apart from his duties in the church, where he conducted services every week-day, he visited the sick and the poor, counselled and assisted persons who were in trouble, and taught a school composed entirely of the bad children in the town with whom nobody else would have any thing to do. Whenever the people wanted something difficult done for them, they always went to the Minor Canon. Thus it was that the laborer thought of the young priest when he found that some one must come and speak to the Griffin.

   [...]

   6"Oh! you must go instantly!" cried the two men. "He is very angry now because he has been kept waiting so long; and nobody knows what may happen if you don't hurry to him."

   7The poor Minor Canon would rather have had his hand cut off than go out to meet an angry griffin; but he felt that it was his duty to go, for it would be a woful thing if injury should come to the people of the town because he was not brave enough to obey the summons of the Griffin. So, pale and frightened, he started off.

   8"Well," said the Griffin, as soon as the young man came near, "I am glad to see that there is some one who has the courage to come to me."

   9The Minor Canon did not feel very courageous, but he bowed his head.

   On the handout, students fill in a two-column chart (Men of Iron, "The Griffin and the Minor Canon") with five rows: the danger, how the hero feels, why he acts, what the other people do, and clues to the genre. Then they write two sentences: one comparing how the two texts approach the topic they share, and one contrasting them. The quiz uses these passages, so do not discuss answers until students have finished the chart.

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Write one theme sentence that fits both Pied Piper texts. (2) Name one thing a poem can do with a theme that a story usually does not, and one thing a story can do that a poem usually does not.

   Teacher note on language and content: the texts are kept exactly as published, including older spellings ("stept," "woful," "favoured"). One word in line 13 of Browning's poem has been cut and marked [...]: it is an old name for the Roma people that many now consider a slur. The excerpt from Men of Iron describes a fight between teenage boys, with a threat to "brain" an attacker and a heavy wooden clog used as a weapon; the lesson asks students to analyze how a historical novel shows its hero, not to admire the violence. In "Casey at the Bat," an angry fan shouts "Kill the umpire!"; this is the crowd's exaggeration, and Casey calms them. The Pied Piper legend ends with the loss of the town's children, which some students may find sad.

   For homework: students read a narrative poem (a poem that tells a story) and a fable, printed below. Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940) published "Casey at the Bat" in a San Francisco newspaper in 1888. In the part of the poem printed here, the Mudville baseball team is behind in the last inning, with two runners on base, and its star hitter, Casey, steps up to bat. Words to know: doffed (took off), writhing (twisting), defiance (bold refusal to back down), sneer (a scornful smile), haughty grandeur (proud, lordly dignity), unheeded (not paid attention to), visage (face), tumult (uproar), spheroid (ball), awed (filled with wonder or fear). The fable comes from the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, in a 1912 translation. Words to know: wager (bet), goal (the finish line), plodding (walking slowly and steadily).

   1There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place,
   There was pride in Casey's bearing, and a smile on Casey's face;
   And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
   No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

   5Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt,
   Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
   Then, while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
   Defiance glanced in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

   And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
   10And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there;
   Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped:
   "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

   From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
   Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
   15"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted some one in the stand.
   And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

   With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
   He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
   He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew,
   20But Casey still ignored it; and the umpire said, "Strike two."

   "Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and the echo answered, "Fraud!"
   But the scornful look from Casey, and the audience was awed;
   They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
   And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

   25The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched with hate;
   He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;
   And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
   And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

   Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
   30The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
   And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
   But there is no joy in Mudville--mighty Casey has struck out.

   1A Hare was one day making fun of a Tortoise for being so slow upon his feet. "Wait a bit," said the Tortoise; "I'll run a race with you, and I'll wager that I win." "Oh, well," replied the Hare, who was much amused at the idea, "let's try and see"; and it was soon agreed that the fox should set a course for them, and be the judge. When the time came both started off together, but the Hare was soon so far ahead that he thought he might as well have a rest: so down he lay and fell fast asleep. Meanwhile the Tortoise kept plodding on, and in time reached the goal. At last the Hare woke up with a start, and dashed on at his fastest, but only to find that the Tortoise had already won the race.

   2Slow and steady wins the race.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What does RL.6.9 ask students to do?

   ACompare two stories of the same genre, such as two mysteries, on the way their plots unfold BCompare and contrast how texts in different forms or genres treat similar themes CDecide which of two texts in different genres is better written, and explain the choice DRetell a story in a different genre from the one the author first chose for it

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which detail most clearly marks Men of Iron as a historical novel?

   AA boy is ordered to "scour thou up my breastplate" in the castle armory BA boy feels his heart "beating heavily and tumultuously" before a fight CA friend slips out of the room without being seen to find help DThe other boys stand on the benches and watch without helping

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which detail most clearly marks "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" as a fantasy story?

   AThe people of the town are frightened and shut themselves in their houses BTwo laborers are hurrying home through the fields in the evening CA griffin calls out and speaks to the townspeople in a terrible voice DThe Minor Canon has just finished the afternoon church services

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which topic do the two passages share?

   ALearning to fight with swords and armor BFacing danger when others are afraid to help CLiving in a castle far from one's family DGetting a carved statue of oneself in a church

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which theme sentence fits both passages best?

   AMonsters are never as dangerous as the frightened people think BOlder boys should always be obeyed by new students CCourage means acting even when you are afraid and alone DIt is foolish to fight when the odds are against you

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How is the way the two heroes feel alike?

   ABoth are afraid, and both show it in their faces BBoth are calm, because they know someone will rescue them CBoth are eager for the chance to prove themselves in a fight DBoth are angry at the people who refuse to help them

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How are the heroes' reasons for acting different?

   AMyles acts to please his friend Gascoyne; the Minor Canon acts to please the Griffin BMyles acts because he is ordered to; the Minor Canon acts because he wants a reward CMyles refuses to do another's "dirty work"; the Minor Canon acts out of duty to the town DMyles acts to save the other new boys; the Minor Canon acts to save the stone griffin

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What do the other people in both passages have in common?

   AThey cheer the hero on and shout advice from nearby BThey join the hero as soon as the danger begins CThey laugh at the hero for being so afraid of it DThey hang back and let one person face the danger

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why does Pyle have his characters say "thou," "thee" and "knoweth"?

   ATo show that Myles comes from a far-away magical land BTo make the talk sound like the English of the 1400s CTo show that the bachelors are better educated than Myles DTo make the passage rhyme like a poem

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which statement best contrasts the tone of the two passages?

    ABoth passages are serious from start to finish, with no humor at all BBoth passages are mostly funny, with jokes on every page CMen of Iron is gently funny; the Griffin story is grim and violent DMen of Iron is tense and serious; the Griffin story has gentle humor

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    How does each genre make its danger feel real to the reader?

    AThe novel uses older boys and a heavy clog; the fantasy uses an impossible monster BThe novel uses magic spells to make the fight exciting; the fantasy uses real soldiers and weapons CBoth use the same kind of danger, a gang of older boys who bully a younger one DNeither text describes any real danger, since both heroes are never hurt

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In Men of Iron, what does Gascoyne do that makes the scene different from the Griffin story?

    AHe fights at Myles's side against all four bachelors BHe takes Blunt's side and holds Myles down CHe begs Blunt not to hurt Myles, then slips out to find help DHe runs home and shuts himself in, like the townspeople

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which pair of quotations shows the two writers praising the same quality?

    A"with courage steeled" and "the courage to come to me" B"I will break thy cockerel head" and "Go, call him, then!" C"Art thou mad?" and "What is the matter with you all?" D"Tom! Wat! Ned!" and "Oh! you must go instantly!"

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which statement about the two passages is true?

    AThe Minor Canon feels very brave when the Griffin praises him BThe Griffin story says the Minor Canon did not feel very courageous CMyles is the only boy in the dormitory who is afraid of Blunt DThe Minor Canon is the one who first tells the Griffin about the town

15. Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which pair of texts is an example of "different forms or genres" in RL.6.9?

    ATwo mystery stories written by the same author BTwo chapters of the same novel CA poem and a story about the same legend DTwo fables from the same collection

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write one theme sentence that fits both passages. Support it with one quotation from each, with paragraph numbers.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    In 2-3 sentences, contrast how the historical novel and the fantasy story each make their hero's courage believable.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Explain in 2-3 sentences how the people around each hero make his courage stand out.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Is the Minor Canon's courage the same kind as Myles's? Answer in 2-3 sentences with evidence from both passages.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    In 2-3 sentences, explain why it is useful to compare texts in different genres that share a theme.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RL.6.9: 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.