Glencoe Literature Reading With Purpose Course 1 Unit 4

UNIT 4
2
The
BIG
Question
What Makes You
Who You Are?
“ Make the most of

yourself, for that is all
”
there is of you.
−Ralph Waldo Emerson,
American author, poet,
and philosopher
Catherine Karnow/CORBIS
LOOKING AHEAD
The skill lessons and readings in this unit will help you develop your own answer
to the Big Question.
UNIT 4 WARM-UP • Connecting to the Big Question

GENRE FOCUS: Poetry
Whatif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
by Shel Silverstein
READING WORKSHOP 1 Skill Lesson: Visualizing

My Father Is a Simple Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
by Luis Omar Salinas
The All-American Slurp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
by Lensey Namioka
WRITING WORKSHOP PART 1 Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
READING WORKSHOP 2 Skill Lesson: Responding

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
by Maya Angelou
Geraldine Moore the Poet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
by Toni Cade Bambara
READING WORKSHOP 3 Skill Lesson: Interpreting

Same Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
by Pat Mora
Flowers and Freckle Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
by Elizabeth Ellis
WRITING WORKSHOP PART 2 Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
READING WORKSHOP 4 Skill Lesson: Monitoring Comprehension

The March of the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
by Robert Service
The Gene Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
by Jordan Brown, from TIME For Kids
COMPARING LITERATURE WORKSHOP

maggie and milly and molly and may . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
by e. e. cummings
Daydreamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
by Eloise Greenfield
UNIT 4 WRAP-UP • Answering the Big Question
371
UNIT 4 WARM-UP
What Makes You
Who You Are?
Connecting to
If there were another person who looked exactly like you, how would
your family and friends know who was the real you? What is it about you
that they would recognize? What interests do you have? What are your
beliefs and values? All of these things—besides your good looks!—help to
make you who you are.
Real Kids and the Big Question

MILES had gone away for the summer to visit his grandpar-
ents. When he returned home, Miles had grown at least two
inches. Miles looked like a different person. Do you think that a
summer away from home and growing two inches will change
who Miles is? Why or why not?
LAN moved to the United States from

Vietnam when she was eight years
old. Now she speaks English
very well. She loves to cook
and often helps her grand-
mother in the kitchen.
Lan’s class is having a pic-
nic, and everyone will
bring food to share. Lan
is worried that the other
students will not like the
kind of food she and her
grandmother prepare. What
advice would you give her?
Partner Talk
With a partner, discuss what you would say to Miles or Lan. Then
discuss with your partner what you think makes a person who he or she is.
Is it interests, beliefs, culture, or a combination of all of these things?
372 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

(l) NOVASTOCK/PhotoEdit, (r)Stone/Getty Images
UNIT 4 WARM-UP
You and the Big Question

Many things go into making you who you are. Reading the BQ
selections in this unit will give you a chance to think about
Big Question Link to Web
some of them. resources to further explore the
Big Question at www.glencoe.com.
Plan for the Unit Challenge
At the end of the unit, you’ll use notes from all your reading to
complete the Unit Challenge.
You’ll choose one of the following activities:

A. Who Am I? Play a game to see how much you know about your classmates.
B. Self-Portrait Collage Make a collage showing what helps to make you who
you are.
• Start thinking about which activity you’d like to do so that you can focus your
thinking as you go through the unit.
• In your Learner’s Notebook, write your thoughts about which activity you’d like
to do.
• Each time you make notes about the Big Question, think about how
your ideas will help you with the Unit Challenge.
Keep Track of Your Ideas
As you read, you’ll make notes about the Big Question. Later, you’ll
use these notes to complete the Unit Challenge. See pages R8–R9 for
help with making Foldable 4. This diagram shows how it should look.
1. Use this Foldable for all selections in 5. To the right of each crease, write The Big
this unit. Question. Below this, you will write your
2. On the front, write Unit 4 and What thoughts about the Big Question.
Makes You Who You Are? Leave the
other half of that folded page blank.
3. Across the top of each of the next folded
pages, write a selection title. (See page 371
for titles.)
4. To the left of each crease, write My
Purpose for Reading. Below this heading,
you will write your purpose for reading
each selection.
Warm-Up 373
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UNIT 4 GENRE FOCUS: POETRY
Poetry looks different from other kinds of literature. Poetry is written in
verse—that is, in lines instead of running text. Many poems may be divided
into groups of lines called stanzas. Stanzas function like paragraphs in a
story. The following are types of poetry:
• Narrative poetry tells a story.
• Lyric poetry tells about the poet’s feelings or emotions.
Skillss Focus
• Free verse has no fixed meter, rhyme, line length, or stanza arrangement.
• Keyy skills for reading poetry
• Ke
Key literary elements of
p
poetry Why Read Poetry?
A good poem sharpens all of your senses. It helps you see and hear things
SSkills Model
in a fresh, exciting way. In this unit, you’ll learn how to:
You will see how to use the • appreciate the use of rhythm and rhyme in poetry
key reading skills and literary
• understand sensory language
elements as you read
• “Whatif,” p. 375
How to Read Poetry
Key Reading Skills
These key reading skills are especially useful tools for reading and under-
standing poetry. You’ll see these skills modeled in the Active Reading Model
on page 375, and you’ll learn more about them later in this unit.
■ Visualizing As you read, try to picture in your mind what the writer is
describing. (See Reading Workshop 1.)
■ Responding Tell what you like, dislike, or find surprising or interesting
about a selection. (See Reading Workshop 2.)
■ Interpreting Use your own understanding of the world to decide what
the events or ideas in a selection mean. (See Reading Workshop 3.)
■ Monitoring comprehension You may have to reread a passage to
fully understand what a writer means (See Reading Workshop 4.)
Key Literary Elements

Recognizing and thinking about the following literary elements will help you
Objectives (pp. 374–375) understand more fully what the author is telling you.
Reading Visualize • Respond to ■ Poetic features: the characteristics that make poetry different from
literature • Interpret text • Monitor
comprehension prose (See “My Father Is a Simple Man.”)
Literature Identify features of ■ Rhyme, rhythm, and meter: the repetition of the end sounds of
poetry • Identify sound devices:
words and the pattern of beats and stresses (See “Life Doesn’t
rhyme, rhythm, meter, alliteration
• Identify and interpret figurative Frighten Me.”)
language: simile, metaphor, ■ Sound devices: Alliteration: the repetition of the beginning sounds
personification
of words (See “Same Song.”)
■ Figurative language: language used for descriptive effect, such as
personification, simile, and metaphor (See “March of the Dead.”)

UNIT 4 GENRE FOCUS
ACTIVE READING MODEL
1 Key Literary Element

1
Poetic Features Even if I didn’t
know this was a poem, the way
by Shel Silverstein the lines look would tell me.
L ast night, while I lay thinking here,

Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
Sound Devices: Alliteration
The repeated p in “pranced and
partied” emphasizes these
words.
And pranced and partied all night long
3 Key Reading Skill
And sang their same old Whatif song: 2 3 4 Visualizing I can imagine tiny,
5 Whatif I’m dumb in school?
annoying animals jumping
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool? around.
Whatif I get beat up? 4 Key Literary Element
Whatif there’s poison in my cup? Figurative Language The
Whatif I start to cry? speaker describes worries and
10 Whatif I get sick and die? 5 fears as if they are little crea-
tures having a party in his head.
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest? 5 Key Literary Element
Rhyme, Rhythm, and
Whatif nobody likes me? 6
Meter This poem has a regular
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me? way of rhyming and a strong
15 Whatif I don’t grow taller?
rhythm, which make it fun to
Whatif my head starts getting smaller? read.
Whatif the fish won’t bite? 6 Key Reading Skill
Whatif the wind tears up my kite? Responding I worry about
Whatif they start a war? things at bedtime, too!
20 Whatif my parents get divorced? 7 Key Reading Skill
Monitoring Comprehension At
Whatif the bus is late?
first, I was confused about what
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight? Whatifs are. That didn’t last long!
Whatif I tear my pants? I might reread this poem for fun,
Whatif I never learn to dance? but not because I don’t get it.
25 Everything seems swell, and then
8 Key Reading Skill
The nightmare Whatifs strike again! 7 8 ❍ Interpreting I think the poet is
saying that everyone has “What
Write to Learn If you wrote a poem about your nighttime thoughts, if?” worries and that they’re no
what exact words might you use to give readers a vivid picture of the big deal.
thoughts that go through your mind?
Study Central Visit www.glencoe.com and click on Study

Central to review poetry.
Genre Focus: Poetry 375

Shel Silverstein
READING WORKSHOP 1
Skills Focus
You will practice these skills when you read Skill Lesson
these selections:
• “My Father Is a Simple Man,” p. 380
• “The All-American Slurp,” p. 386
Visualizing
Reading
Learn It!
• Visualizing
What Is It? When you visualize, you form
Literature pictures in your mind as you read. Visualizing means
using your imagination to “see” the scenes that are
• Understanding poetic features described in words in a poem or story. When you
read about a blue sky, you should “see” a clear blue
Vocabulary sky in your mind. Visualizing helps you connect to
• Using context clues that what you’re reading. R
involve restatement • To visualize something is to see it in your mind.
• Academic Vocabulary: The writer uses words that help you create pictures
visualize as you read.
• Poems create pictures in your mind that suggest
Writing/Grammar different emotions and moods. Can you think of
some words that suggest vivid pictures to you?
• Identifying and using
different sentence types
and end punctuation
ed.
with permission. All rights reserv
PRESS SYNDICATE. Reprinted
Watterson. Dist. By UNIVERSAL
CALVIN AND HOBBES © 1988
Analyzing Cartoons
What is Hobbes asking Calvin to
visualize here? Why is Calvin
so frightened?
Objectives (pp. 376–377)

Reading Visualize • Make
connections from text to self Academic Vocabulary
visualize (VIZH wul ize) v. to form a mental image or picture of V
376 UNIT 4
CALVIN AND HOBBES, Watterson. Dist. By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
376-377_U4_RW1-845476.indd 376 3/9/07 3:31:19 PM

READING WORKSHOP 1 • Visualizing
Why Is It Important? Visualizing is one of the best ways to understand

and remember information in fiction, nonfiction, and informational text.
When you read, you try to visualize, or picture, something or someone that
is described through words. This helps you to understand what the author Study Central Visit www.glencoe
.com and click on Study Central to
is saying.
review visualizing.
How Do I Do It? As you read, imagine that you are painting a picture.
Read carefully, so that you will be able to include all the details. Imagine
what the characters look like. Visualize the setting—a darkened room at
night, a small-town street, a family’s dinner table. If you are reading a
poem or short story, imagine all the details the writer provides.
As you read, jot down notes or make sketches of details that you can “see.”
Here are the notes that one student jotted down after reading
Shel Silverstein’s poem “Whatif.”
I could see the boy lying in bed at night thinking about

all sorts of horrible stuff. I saw all of his worries—green
hair on his chest, his head shrinking, his kite tearing apart.
If I had to paint a picture of the scene, I’d do it by show-
ing the little worry monsters going into his ear, filling up
his head with awful things. I could make a great drawing
of the scene!
Practice It!
Below are some images that are related to the selections that follow this
Workshop. As you read each one, what do you see? In your Learner’s
Notebook, jot down notes or make a sketch about the things you visualize
for each phrase.
• a father and son walking together
• a juicy orange cut in half
• a girl munching a stalk of celery
• a fancy restaurant
Use It!
As you read “My Father Is a Simple Man” and “The All-American Slurp,”
remember the notes you jotted down or the sketches you made to practice
visualizing. When you find a detail that you can picture clearly, add it to
your notes and sketches.
Reading Workshop 1 Visualizing 377

CORBIS
Before You Read My Father Is a

Simple Man
Meet the Author

Vocabulary Preview
perpetual (pur PEH choo ul) adj. continuing forever (p. 380) The Earth
Luis Omar Salinas is one of
revolves around the sun in a perpetual cycle.
the founding fathers of
Chicano poetry in America. scholar (SKOL ur) n. a person of great learning (p. 381) Mr. Wilson is a
Many of Salinas’s poems great scholar who has earned many degrees.
show how he was shaped pretense (PREE tens) n. a false show or appearance, pretending (p. 381)
by his experiences as a I was terrified, but I grinned with a pretense of bravery.
Mexican American. Salinas fanfare (FAN fair) n. a very noticeable public display (p. 381) When the
once said that he deals with mayor cut the ribbon for the new park, there was a lot of fanfare.
the real world by accepting
the tragic and painful parts
I Write, You Write In a small group, take turns writing a sentence using
of life in order to “gain a
the vocabulary words until each word is used. The goal is to write a para-
vision that transcends this
graph that makes sense. Read the paragraph aloud. Were the words
world in some way.”
used correctly?
See page R6 of the Author
Files for more on Luis
Omar Salinas.
English Language Coach
Context Clues When you read a word you don’t know, you can figure
out its meaning by looking at context clues. Context clues are the other
words in the sentence or paragraph that help you understand the word you
Author Search For more about don’t know.
Luis Omar Salinas, go to www
.glencoe.com. My father walked in an unhurried way, moving slowly so he could
enjoy the outdoors.
unhurried slowly, or slow
word you don’t know context clue
With this context clue, the meaning of unhurried is inside the sentence.
Unhurried means “slow.”
Reading Visualize • Make connections On Your Own Using context clues found inside the sentences, write the
from text to self meaning of the words in dark type on a separate sheet of paper.
Literature Identify features of poetry:
narrative and lyric poems, free verse
1. The Johnsons are a simple family; they’re honest and ordinary.
Vocabulary Use context clues: 2. Although they’re quite affluent, having a lot of money doesn’t
restatement change them.
3. The Johnsons are helpful to others. Any one who witnesses the Johnsons’
acts of kindness or other good deeds can see how benevolent they are.

Skills Preview Get Ready to Read

Key Reading Skill: Visualizing Connect to the Reading
Words can tell a story or explain an idea. They can Think about the parents you know or have known.
also give you the outlines and colors to paint pictures Think about your own parents and the parents of your
in your mind. But you have to supply the attention friends. What can a parent do to make a child feel
and the imagination. If a writer says, “The autumn proud or safe? What can a parent do to make a child
leaves looked like splashes of bright paint,” you have feel loved and happy? As you read “My Father Is a
to pay attention to the words splashes and bright Simple Man,” think about your own experience of
paint. Then you have to use your imagination to “see” what makes a good parent.
splashes of bright paint in your mind.
Small Group Discussion With a small group of
Quickwrite Think about a special time you spent classmates, talk about ways a parent can influence or
with a family member. In your Learner’s Notebook, shape a child. What are some helpful things the par-
write about the pictures that form in your mind as you ent can do? What are good values—standards and
remember that time. ways of living—for a son or daughter to learn? Make a
list of your ideas.
Key Literary Element: Poetic Features
A person who writes stories or essays may use several Set Purposes for Reading
pages to get an idea across, but a poet might use only Read the selection “My Father Is
a few words. Poets choose words that appeal to the a Simple Man” to find out how the speaker learned
reader’s emotions, senses, and imaginations. Poetry some important life lessons from his father—lessons
looks different from prose. The lines of a poem usually that helped him become the person he is now.
don’t run all the way across the page. Instead, poets
carefully decide how long each line will be, and each Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
line adds something to the meaning of the poem. to learn from the selection to help you answer the Big
Question? Write your own purpose on the “My Father
Groups of lines are called stanzas. Stanzas are like Is a Simple Man” page of Foldable 4.
paragraphs in a story. Each one contains a single idea
or helps develop the poem’s main idea.
There are many kinds of poems. Two broad categories
are narrative and lyric. Narrative poems tell stories.
They can be serious, or they can be funny. Lyric
poems express thoughts and feelings. They present
clear images.
Many poems have a regular “beat,” or rhythm, and
many poems contain rhyme. Free verse is poetry that
has irregular rhythm and often doesn’t rhyme. There’s Interactive Literary Elements Handbook
no regular pattern, and the rhythm can be like every- To review or learn more about the literary
elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
day speech or conversation. “My Father Is a Simple
Man” is a poem written in free verse.
Keep Moving
Use these skills as you read the following
selection.
My Father Is a Simple Man 379

READING WORKSHOP 1
by Luis Omar Salinas
I walk to town with my father Practice the Skills

to buy a newspaper. He walks slower
than I do so I must slow up.
The street is filled with children. 1 1 Key Reading Skill
5 We argue about the price
Visualizing Create a picture
of pomegranates,* I convince in your mind of these two men
him it is the fruit of scholars. walking down the street. As
the poem goes on, add to that
He has taken me on this journey
picture with details of what they
and it’s been lifelong. see and what happens on their
10 He’s sure I’ll be healthy
trip into town.
so long as I eat more oranges,
and tells me the orange
has seeds and so is perpetual; 2 2 English Language Coach
and we too will come back Using context clues Look at
15 like the orange trees.
the word perpetual. How does
I ask him what he thinks the next line help you figure out
about death and he says the meaning of perpetual?
he will gladly face it when
it comes but won’t jump
20 out in front of a car.
6 A pomegranate is a pulpy golden-red fruit with many seeds.
Vocabulary
perpetual (pur PEH choo ul) adj. continuing forever

Jose Luis Pelaez/CORBIS
READING WORKSHOP 1
I’d gladly give my life Practice the Skills

for this man with a sixth
grade education, whose kindness
and patience are true . . .
25 The truth of it is, he’s the scholar,
and when the bitter-hard reality

comes at me like a punishing
evil stranger, I can always
remember that here was a man
30 who was a worker and provider,
who learned the simple facts

in life and lived by them,
who held no pretense. 3 3 Key Literary Element
And when he leaves without Poetic Features Reread the
35 benefit of fanfare or applause poem. How would it be different
I shall have learned what little if it were a short story?
there is about greatness. 4 ❍
4
Who helped the speaker become
the person he is? How? Write
your answer on the “My Father
Is a Simple Man” page of
Foldable 4. Your response will
help you complete the Unit
Challenge later.
Vocabulary
scholar (SKOL ur) n. a person of great learning
pretense (PREE tens) n. a false show or appearance; pretending
fanfare (FAN fair) n. a very noticeable public display

After You Read My Father Is a

Simple Man
Answering the
1. What are your thoughts about what makes you who you are after
reading “My Father Is a Simple Man”?
2. Recall What kind of education does the speaker’s father have?
T IP Right There
3. Recall What qualities does the father have?
T IP Think and Search
Critical Thinking
4. Infer Is the speaker’s father a young man or an older man? How do
you know?
T IP Author and Me
5. Interpret In what way do you suppose the speaker’s father is a
scholar? What has his father learned about life?
T IP Author and Me
6. Evaluate In the speaker’s eyes, what makes his father great?
T IP Author and Me
Write About Your Reading

Use the RAFT system to write about “My Father Is a Simple Man.” A RAFT
assignment provides four details:
Role: Write as if you were a passerby who sees the father and son on
the street
Objectives (pp. 382–383) Audience: Write to a friend
Reading Visualize
Literature Identify poetic features: Format: A paragraph
free verse Topic: Describe the father and son from the poem as you see them,
Vocabulary Use context clues: restatement
Writing Use the RAFT system: paragraph during their walk
• Respond to literature
Grammar Identify sentence types:
declarative, interrogative, exclamatory,
imperative

Jose Luis Pelaez/CORBIS
Skills Review Grammar Link:

Key Reading Skill: Visualizing Sentence Types
7. How did visualizing help you read and under- A sentence is a group of words that expresses a com-
stand the poem “My Father Is a Simple Man”? plete thought. For example,
What pictures did you form in your mind as you This is not a sentence: The poet each morning.
read the poem? Which words from the poem cre- This is a sentence: The poet writes each morning.
ated the most vivid pictures for you?
Different types of sentences have different purposes.
Key Literary Element: Poetic Features There are four main types of sentences:
8. When you were reading “My Father Is a Simple • A declarative sentence makes a statement.
Man,” did it seem like a poem to you even The two men walk through town.
though it didn’t rhyme? Explain your answer.
• An interrogative sentence asks a question.
What is the price of pomegranates?
Vocabulary Check • An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling.
Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to I love oranges!
decide whether each sentence is true or false. • An imperative sentence gives a command or makes
9. There would probably be a great deal of fanfare a request.
if the president visited our town.
Shut the window.
10. A scholar knows very little about any subject.
11. A perpetual motion machine would never stop. Grammar Practice
12. You expect pretense from someone you think For each sentence, write in your Learner’s Notebook
is a phony. whether it is declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, or
13. Academic Vocabulary Answer true or false: imperative.
When you visualize something, you erase it. 15. The children play on the sidewalk.
14. English Language Coach Using context clues 16. There is no one on earth like my father!
in the following sentence, figure out the meaning
17. Tell me about the orange tree.
of the word jovial.
18. Are the pomegranates in season?
• Our neighbor is a jovial man, always cheerful
and smiling.
Writing Application Look back at the RAFT assign-
ment you wrote.
• Make sure all your sentences express complete
thoughts.
Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection

Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to
www.glencoe.com.

Before You Read The All-American Slurp
Vocabulary Preview
disgraced (dis GRAYSD) v. brought shame or dishonor upon; form of the
verb disgrace (p. 386) The child’s rudeness disgraced his parents.
lavishly (LAV ish lee) adv. in a way that provides much more than is
needed (p. 387) The bed was lavishly covered with pillows.
spectacle (SPEK tih kul) n. something that attracts too much of the wrong
Len kind of attention (p. 388) He made a spectacle of himself by wearing an
s ey N a m io k a
orange suit to the funeral.
Meet the Author consumption (kun SUMP shun) n. the act of eating, drinking, or using up
(p. 392) Our consumption of too much fast food is causing health
Lensey Namioka was born in
problems.
China in 1929. Her family
moved often. Namioka came coping (KOHP ing) v. successfully dealing with something difficult; form of
to the United States as a the verb cope (p. 395) He’s coping with having a broken leg.
young adult and attended
Radcliffe College. Namioka Write to Learn Create a sentence for each vocabulary word. Leave a
has said that her books draw blank where the word should go. Have a partner fill in the blanks.
heavily on her Chinese cul-
tural heritage and on her English Language Coach: Using Context Clues
husband’s Japanese cultural You can often guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking at
heritage. See page R5 of the context clues. These are nearby words and phrases that provide hints to
Author Files for more on the word’s meaning. Sometimes the meaning of an unfamiliar word may
Lensey Namioka. be restated in different words.
After the flood, we had to disinfect the basement. That is, we had to kill
the germs. C
Author Search For more
about Lensey Namioka, go to
www.glencoe.com. disinfect kill the germs
The context tells you that disinfect means “to kill the germs.”
Objectives (pp. 384–395) Get a Clue On a separate sheet of paper, write each word that appears in
Reading Visualize • Make connections italic (slanted) type in the sentences below. Next to it, write the context clue
from text to self
Literature Identify stereotyping
that helps you find the meaning. Compare answers with a partner.
Vocabulary Use context clues: • Tony hoodwinked me. That is to say, he tricked me completely!
definition • My brother’s behavior mortified me. In other words, I was
horribly embarrassed.

Courtesy Lensey Namioka-photo by Don Perkins
382-385_U4_RW1-845476.indd 384 3/9/07 9:47:29 AM

Small Group Discussion Discuss the good and bad

Skills Preview parts of feeling different from other people.
Key Reading Skill: Visualizing
Some writers don’t give you much help when you
Build Background
visualize. The author of “The All-American Slurp” gives In the story “The All-American Slurp,” a Chinese family
you a lot! In fact, it’s the kind of story that a cartoonist and an American family share a meal at each other’s
would have fun illustrating. Instead, you need to homes. Food, manners, and dining situations cook up
illustrate it yourself—inside your mind. When the very funny scenes. Author Lensey Namioka drew on
author says that her family “packed” themselves her Chinese American background to write this amus-
into a sofa, imagine four people jammed together on ing story. Keep these facts in mind as you read:
a sofa that barely holds them. Then, if you visualize • In traditional Chinese culture, people consider it
what happens after that, it will be even funnier. polite to eat a little bit of everything instead of pick-
ing out only one or two favorite foods at a meal.
Literary Element: Stereotyping • Traditional Chinese meals usually offer a number of
This story talks about the customs of people from different dishes, but the foods are not mixed
different backgrounds. It’s interesting and funny, together on a single plate.
but while you’re reading any story about different
cultures, you should ask yourself: “Is this a real Partner Talk With a partner, make a list of some
cultural difference or a stereotype?” A stereotype is a foods you enjoy that are difficult to eat neatly, such as
broad, general idea about a group. It is often an corn on the cob, fried chicken, or spaghetti. How do
exaggeration. And it is never true of every member of you manage to eat these foods? What is the polite way
the group. A writer who expresses such an idea is to do this? Discuss any funny or embarrassing
stereotyping the people he or she is describing. moments that have to do with handling a tricky food.
You need to recognize stereotypes because they can Set Purposes for Reading
limit the way you see people. “Boys like sports” might Read “The All-American Slurp”
seem like an accurate statement. But if you don’t to find out how just being who they are causes funny
realize it’s a stereotype and not true of all boys, you situations for the narrator’s family.
will never understand real life.
Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
to learn from the selection to help you answer the
Get Ready to Read Big Question? Write your own purpose on the
“All-American Slurp” page of Foldable 4.
Connect to the Reading
Have you ever felt really different from everyone
around you? Has your family ever embarrassed you?
Think about these things as you read the story.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook Keep Moving

To review or learn more about the literary
elements, go to www.glencoe.com. Use these skills as you read the following
selection.
The All-American Slurp 385

READING WORKSHOP 1
by Lensey Namioka
T he first time our family was invited out to dinner in

America, we disgraced ourselves while eating celery. We had
emigrated1 to this country from China, and during our early
C
days here, we had a hard time with American table manners.
In China we never ate celery raw, or any other kind of
vegetable raw. We always had to disinfect2 the vegetables in
boiling water first. When we were presented with our first
relish tray, the raw celery caught us unprepared.
We had been invited to dinner by our neighbors, the
Gleasons. After arriving at the house, we shook hands with Practice the Skills
our hosts and packed ourselves into a sofa. As our family of
four sat stiffly in a row, my younger brother and I stole R
glances at our parents for a clue as to what to do next.
Mrs. Gleason offered the relish tray to Mother. The tray
looked pretty, with its tiny red radishes, curly sticks of
carrots, and long, slender stalks of pale green celery. “Do try
some of the celery, Mrs. Lin,” she said. “It’s from a local
farmer, and it’s sweet.”
Mother picked up one of the green stalks, and Father
followed suit. Then I picked up a stalk, and my brother
did too. So there we sat, each with a stalk of celery in our
right hand. 1 1 Key Reading Skill
Visualizing Can you create a
1. A family who has emigrated has moved from one place or country to settle in another place. picture in your mind of the Lin
2. When you disinfect something, you clean it to kill the germs on it. family at this point?
Vocabulary
disgraced (dis GRAYSD) v. brought shame or dishonor upon

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READING WORKSHOP 1
Mrs. Gleason kept smiling. “Would you like to try some of Practice the Skills
the dip, Mrs. Lin? It’s my own recipe: sour cream and onion
flakes, with a dash of Tabasco sauce.”
Most Chinese don’t care for dairy products, and in those
days I wasn’t even ready to drink fresh milk. Sour cream
sounded perfectly revolting. Our family shook our heads
in unison.3
Mrs. Gleason went off with the relish tray to the other
guests, and we carefully watched to see what they did.
Everyone seemed to eat the raw vegetables quite happily.
Mother took a bite of her celery. Crunch. “It’s not bad!”
she whispered.
Father took a bite of his celery. Crunch. “Yes, it is good,”
he said, looking surprised.
I took a bite, and then my brother. Crunch, crunch. It was
more than good; it was delicious. Raw celery has a slight
sparkle, a zingy taste that you don’t get in cooked celery.
When Mrs. Gleason came around with the relish tray, we
each took another stalk of celery, except my brother.
He took two.
There was only one problem: long strings ran through the
length of the stalk, and they got caught in my teeth. When I
help my mother in the kitchen, I always pull the strings out
before slicing celery. I pulled the strings out of my stalk. Z-z-
zip, z-z-zip. My brother followed suit. Z-z-zip, z-z-zip, z-z-zip. To
my left, my parents were taking care of their own stalks. Z-z-
zip, z-z-zip, z-z-zip. 2 2 Key Reading Skill
Suddenly I realized that there was dead silence except for Visualizing Have you ever
our zipping. Looking up, I saw that the eyes of everyone in had celery stuck in your teeth?
the room were on our family. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason, their If so, maybe you can imagine
what this scene must look like.
daughter Meg, who was my friend, and their neighbors the
The narrator describes a lot of
Badels—they were all staring at us as we busily pulled the things to help you visualize:
strings of our celery. sights, sounds, and even tastes.
That wasn’t the end of it. Mrs. Gleason announced that Visualizing is a good way to
dinner was served and invited us to the dining table. It was understand what is happening.
lavishly covered with platters of food, but we couldn’t see When you think about the din-
ner, how do you picture it in
your mind?
3. When people speak or act in unison, they say or do the thing at the same moment.
Vocabulary
lavishly (LAV ish lee) adv. in a way that provides much more than is needed

READING WORKSHOP 1
any chairs around the table. So we helpfully carried over Practice the Skills
some dining chairs and sat down. All the other guests just
stood there.
Mrs. Gleason bent down and whispered to us, “This is a
buffet dinner. You help yourselves to some food and eat it in
the living room.” 3 3 English Language Coach
Our family beat a retreat back to the sofa as if chased by Context Clues Look at the
enemy soldiers. For the rest of the evening, too mortified to word buffet (buh FAY). What
go back to the dining table, I nursed4 a bit of potato salad on does it mean? You probably
know it has to do with food
my plate.
because the word dinner is right
Next day Meg and I got on the school bus together. I wasn’t next to it. What does the next
sure how she would feel about me after the spectacle our sentence say you do? So a buffet
family made at the party. But she was just the same as usual, is a dinner in which you serve
and the only reference she made to the party was, “Hope you yourself the food.
and your folks got enough to eat last night. You certainly
didn’t take very much. Mom never tries to figure out how
much food to prepare. She just puts everything on the table
and hopes for the best.”
I began to relax. The Gleasons’ dinner party wasn’t so
different from a Chinese meal after all. My mother also puts
everything on the table and hopes for the best.
M eg was the first friend I had made after we came to

America. I eventually got acquainted with a few other kids in
school, but Meg was still the only real friend I had.
My brother didn’t have any problems making friends. He
spent all his time with some boys who were teaching him Analyzing the Photo Does this picture
baseball, and in no time he could speak English much faster seem to reflect the friendship between
the narrator and Meg? Why or why not?
than I could—not better, but faster.
I worried more about making mistakes,
and I spoke carefully, making sure I could
say everything right before opening my
mouth. At least I had a better accent than
my parents, who never really got rid of
their Chinese accent, even years later.
4. To nurse food or drink is to eat or drink it very slowly.
Vocabulary
spectacle (SPEK tih kul) n. something that attracts
too much of the wrong kind of attention

Mary Kate Denny/Getty Images
READING WORKSHOP 1
My parents had both studied English in school before coming Practice the Skills
to America, but what they had studied was mostly written
English, not spoken.
Father’s approach to English was a scientific one. Since
Chinese verbs have no tense, he was fascinated by the way
English verbs changed form according to whether they were
in the present, past imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, future, or
future perfect tense. He was always making diagrams of
verbs and their inflections,5 and he looked for opportunities
to show off his mastery of the pluperfect and future perfect
tenses, his two favorites. “I shall have finished my project by
Monday,” he would say smugly.
Mother’s approach was to memorize lists of polite phrases
that would cover all possible social situations. She was
constantly muttering things like “I’m fine, thank you. And
you?” Once she accidentally stepped on someone’s foot, and
hurriedly blurted, “Oh, that’s quite all right!” Embarrassed by
her slip, she resolved to do better next time. So when someone
stepped on her foot, she cried, “You’re welcome!” 4 4 Literary Element
In our own different ways, we made progress in learning Stereotyping Could either of
English. But I had another worry, and that was my these approaches to learning
appearance. My brother didn’t have to worry, since Mother English lead someone to form a
stereotype of Chinese people?
bought him blue jeans for school, and he dressed like all the
Does getting to know the
other boys. But she insisted that girls had to wear skirts. By individuals through this story
the time she saw that Meg and the other girls were wearing help keep those stereotypes
jeans, it was too late. My school clothes were bought already, from forming?
and we didn’t have money left to buy new outfits for me. We
had too many other things to buy first, like furniture, pots,
and pans.
The first time I visited Meg’s house, she took me upstairs to
her room, and I wound up trying on her clothes. We were
pretty much the same size, since Meg was shorter and
thinner than average. Maybe that’s how we became friends in
the first place. Wearing Meg’s jeans and T-shirt, I looked at
myself in the mirror. I could almost pass for an American— 5 Reviewing Skills
from the back, anyway. At least the kids in school wouldn’t
Connecting The narrator tells
stop and stare at me in the hallways, which was what they about how kids in school stared
did when they saw me in my white blouse and navy blue at her when she wore a certain
skirt that went a couple of inches below the knees. 5 blouse and skirt. Think about
a time when you felt like you
weren’t wearing the right clothes
5. A word’s inflection—or form and tense—changes depending on how it’s used in a sentence. or shoes. How did you feel?

READING WORKSHOP 1
When Meg came to my house, I invited her to try on my Practice the Skills
Chinese dresses, the ones with a high collar and slits up the
sides. Meg’s eyes were bright as she looked at herself in the
mirror. She struck several sultry poses, and we nearly fell
over laughing.
The dinner party at the Gleasons’ didn’t stop my growing
friendship with Meg. Things were getting better for me in
other ways too. Mother finally bought me some jeans at the
end of the month, when Father got his paycheck. She wasn’t
in any hurry about buying them at first, until I worked on
her. This is what I did. Since we didn’t have a car in those
days, I often ran down to the neighborhood store to pick up
things for her. The groceries cost less at a big supermarket,
but the closest one was many blocks away. One day, when she
ran out of flour, I offered to borrow a bike from our
neighbor’s son and buy a ten-pound bag of flour at the big
supermarket. I mounted the boy’s bike and waved to Mother.
“I’ll be back in five minutes!”
Before I started pedaling, I heard her voice behind me.
“You can’t go out in public like that! People can see all the
way up to your thighs!”
“I’m sorry,” I said innocently. “I thought you were in a
hurry to get the flour.” For dinner we were going to have
pot-stickers (fried Chinese dumplings), and we needed a lot
of flour. 6 6 English Language Coach
“Couldn’t you borrow a girl’s bicycle?” complained Mother. Context Clues What are pot
“That way your skirt won’t be pushed up.” stickers? How does the author
“There aren’t too many of those around,” I said. “Almost all tell the reader what they are?
the girls wear jeans while riding a bike, so they don’t see any
point buying a girl’s bike.”
We didn’t eat pot-stickers that evening, and Mother was
thoughtful. Next day we took the bus downtown and she
bought me a pair of jeans. In the same week, my brother
made the baseball team of his junior high school, Father 7 Literary Element
started taking driving lessons, and Mother discovered Stereotyping Think about what
people mean when they refer
rummage sales. We soon got all the furniture we needed,
to “a normal American family.”
plus a dart board and a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle (fourteen Where does this kind of family
hours later, we discovered that it was a 999-piece jigsaw live? How many children do they
puzzle). There was hope that the Lins might become a normal have? What is the father’s job?
American family after all. 7 What does the mother do? Is the
idea of “the normal American
family” a stereotype?

READING WORKSHOP 1
T
hen came our dinner at the Lakeview
restaurant.
Practice the Skills
The Lakeview was an expensive

restaurant, one of those places where a
headwaiter dressed in tails conducted you
to your seat, and the only light came from
candles and flaming desserts. In one corner
Visual Vocabulary of the room a lady harpist played tinkling
The headwaiter is
wearing a formal suit melodies. 8 8 Key Reading Skill
with a jacket that has Father wanted to celebrate, because he Visualizing Have you ever seen
long panels in the
back. The jacket is
had just been promoted. He worked for an a fancy restaurant on television
called tails because electronics company, and after his English or in a movie? What did it look
the panels look like like? The narrator has given you
the tail of a bird.
started improving, his superiors decided to
details about this restaurant.
appoint him to a position more suited to his Imagine a darkened room with
training. The promotion not only brought a higher salary but candles on the tables. What does
was also a tremendous boost to his pride. that look like? Picture the lady
Up to then we had eaten only in Chinese restaurants. playing a harp. What details help
Although my brother and I were becoming fond of you to visualize the setting?
hamburgers, my parents didn’t care much for western food,
other than chow mein.6
But this was a special occasion, and Father asked his
coworkers to recommend a really elegant restaurant.
So there we were at the Lakeview, stumbling after the
head-waiter in the murky dining room.
At our table we were handed our menus, and they
were so big that to read mine I almost had to stand
up again. But why bother? It was mostly in
French, anyway.
Father, being an engineer, was always systematic.
He took out a pocket French dictionary. “They told me
that most of the items would be in French, so I came Analyzing the Photo As you visualized
prepared.” He even had a pocket flashlight, the size of a the Lakeview restaurant, did it look like
marking pen. While Mother held the flashlight over the this picture? Explain.
menu, he looked up the items that were in French.

“Pâté en croûte,” he
muttered. “Let’s see . . . pâté is
paste . . . croûte is crust . . . hmm . . . a
paste in crust.”
6. Chow mein is a Chinese American dish made of shredded fish or meat and vegetables, served
with noodles or rice.

(l)JupiterImages/Comstock, (r)Dale Kennington/SuperStock
READING WORKSHOP 1
The waiter stood looking patient. I squirmed and died at Practice the Skills
least fifty times. 9
At long last Father gave up. “Why don’t we just order four 9 Reviewing Skill
complete dinners at random?” he suggested. Connecting Have you ever felt
“Isn’t that risky?” asked Mother. “The French eat some embarrassed by something you
rather peculiar things, I’ve heard.” had no control over? How does
the narrator seem to feel when
“A Chinese can eat anything a Frenchman can eat,”
her parents pull out a flashlight
Father declared. and a dictionary to try to under-
The soup arrived in a plate. How do you get soup up from stand the menu?
a plate? I glanced at the other diners, but the ones at the
nearby tables were not on their soup course, while the more
distant ones were invisible in the darkness.
Fortunately my parents had studied books on western
etiquette7 before they came to America. “Tilt your plate,”
whispered my mother. “It’s easier to spoon the soup up
that way.”
She was right. Tilting the plate did the trick. But the
etiquette book didn’t say anything about what you did after
the soup reached your lips. As any respectable Chinese
knows, the correct way to eat your soup is to slurp. This helps
to cool the liquid and prevent you from burning your lips. It
also shows your appreciation.
We showed our appreciation. Shloop, went my father. Shloop,
EL
went my mother. Shloop, shloop, went my brother, who was the
hungriest.
The lady harpist stopped playing to take a rest. And in
the silence, our family’s consumption of soup suddenly
seemed unnaturally loud. You know how it sounds on a
rocky beach when the tide goes out and the water drains
from all those little pools? They go shloop, shloop, shloop.
That was the Lin family, eating soup.
L
At the next table a waiter was pouring wine. When a
large shloop reached him, he froze. The bottle continued
to pour, and red wine flooded the tabletop and into the
lap of a customer. Even the customer didn’t notice
Analyzing the Art Does this picture

7. Etiquette means the rules for manners or polite behavior, which vary in different places and help you “hear” the schloop, schloop
cultures. sound that the narrator describes? Why
or why not?
Vocabulary
consumption (kun SUMP shun) n. the act of eating, drinking, or using up

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READING WORKSHOP 1
anything at first, being also hypnotized by the shloop, Practice the Skills
shloop, shloop.
It was too much. “I need to go to the toilet,” I mumbled,
jumping to my feet. A waiter, sensing my urgency, quickly
directed me to the ladies’ room.
I splashed cold water on my burning face, and as I dried
myself with a paper towel, I stared into the mirror. In this
perfumed ladies’ room, with its pink-and-silver wallpaper
and marbled sinks, I looked completely out of place. What
was I doing here? What was our family doing in the
Lakeview restaurant? In America?
The door to the ladies’ room opened. A woman came in
and glanced curiously at me. I retreated into one of the toilet
cubicles and latched the door. 10 10 Reviewing Skill
Time passed—maybe half an hour, maybe an hour. Then I Connecting Have you ever felt
heard the door open again, and my mother’s voice. “Are you this embarrassed? How long did
in there? You’re not sick, are you?” it take you to get over it? (Or are
you still not over it?)
There was real concern in her voice. A girl can’t leave her
family just because they slurp their soup. Besides, the toilet
cubicle had a few drawbacks as a permanent residence. “I’m
all right,” I said, undoing the latch.
Mother didn’t tell me how the rest of the dinner went, and I
didn’t want to know. In the weeks following, I managed to
push the whole thing into the back of my mind, where it
jumped out at me only a few times a day. Even now, I turn
hot all over when I think of the Lakeview restaurant.
B ut by the time we had been in this country for three

months, our family was definitely making progress toward
becoming Americanized. I remember my parents’ first PTA8
meeting. Father wore a neat suit and tie, and Mother put on
her first pair of high heels. She stumbled only once. They met
my homeroom teacher and beamed as she told them that I
would make honor roll soon at the rate I was going. Of course
Chinese etiquette forced Father to say that I was a very
stupid girl and Mother to protest that the teacher was
showing favoritism toward me. But I could tell they were
both very proud.
8. PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association.

READING WORKSHOP 1
T he day came when my parents announced that they

wanted to give a dinner party. We had invited Chinese
Practice the Skills
friends to eat with us before, but this dinner was going to be

different. In addition to a Chinese-American family, we were
going to invite the Gleasons.
“Gee, I can hardly wait to have dinner at your house,” Meg
said to me. “I just love Chinese food.”
That was a relief. Mother was a good cook, but I wasn’t
sure if people who ate sour cream would also eat chicken
gizzards stewed in soy sauce.
Mother decided not to take a chance with chicken gizzards.
Since we had western guests, she set the table with large
dinner plates, which we never used in Chinese meals. In fact
we didn’t use individual plates at all, but picked up food from
the platters in the middle of the table and brought it directly 11 Key Reading Skill
to our rice bowls. Following the practice of Chinese-American Visualizing Think back to
the dinner with celery at the
restaurants, Mother also placed large serving spoons on
Gleasons’ house. How did you
the platters. 11 picture that dinner? Imagine the
The dinner started well. Mrs. Gleason exclaimed at the dinner with soup in the French
beautifully arranged dishes of food: the colorful candied fruit restaurant. How did you picture
in the sweet-and-sour pork dish, the noodle-thin shreds of that dinner? How are the details
about the Chinese dinner dif-
chicken meat stir-fried with tiny peas, and the glistening pink
ferent from the other dinners?
prawns in a ginger sauce. Think about those different
At first I was too busy enjoying my food to notice how the descriptions, and consider how
guests were doing. But soon I remembered my duties. visualizing helps you understand
Sometimes guests were too polite to help the story.
themselves and you had to serve them with
more food. Analyzing the Photo How is this bowl
I glanced at Meg, to see if of rice different from Meg’s plate for the
Chinese dinner? Explain your answer
she needed more food, and my with details from the story.
eyes nearly popped out at the sight
of her plate. It was piled with food: the
sweet-and-sour meat pushed right
against the chicken shreds, and the
Visual Vocabulary chicken sauce ran into the prawns.
Prawns are large
shrimp. She had been taking food from a
second dish before she finished
eating her helping from the first!
Horrified, I turned to look at Mrs. Gleason. She was
dumping rice out of her bowl and putting it on her

(l)Arthur Beck/CORBIS Stock Market, (r)Getty Images
READING WORKSHOP 1
dinner plate. Then she ladled prawns and gravy on top of the
rice and mixed everything together, the way you mix sand,
gravel, and cement to make concrete.
I couldn’t bear to look any longer, and I turned to Mr.
Gleason. He was chasing a pea around his plate. Several
times he got it to the edge, but when he tried to pick it up
with his chopsticks, it rolled back toward the center of the
plate again. Finally he put down his chopsticks and picked
up the pea with his fingers. He really did!
A grown man!
All of us, our family and the Chinese guests, stopped
eating to watch the activities of the Gleasons. I wanted to
giggle. Then I caught my mother’s eyes on me. She frowned
and shook her head slightly, and I understood the message:
the Gleasons were not used to Chinese ways, and they were
just coping the best they could. For some reason I thought of
celery strings. 12 Analyzing the Photo Do you think that
When the main courses were finished, Mother brought out you could drink this milkshake without
making a slurping noise? Explain.
a platter of fruit. “I hope you weren’t expecting a sweet
dessert,” she said. “Since the Chinese don’t eat dessert, I
didn’t think to prepare any.” Practice the Skills
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly eat dessert!” cried Mrs. Gleason.
“I’m simply stuffed!” 12 Literary Element
Meg had different ideas. When the table was cleared, she Stereotyping Based on this
dinner, what kind of stereotype
announced that she and I were going for a walk. “I don’t
could the Lin family form of
know about you, but I feel like dessert,” she told me, when we Americans? Could they think all
were outside. “Come on, there’s a Dairy Queen down the Americans are crude and greedy?
street. I could use a big chocolate milkshake!” Would that be accurate and fair?
Although I didn’t really want anything more to eat,
I insisted on paying for the milkshakes. After all, I was
still hostess.
Meg got her large chocolate milkshake and I had a small
one. Even so, she was finishing hers while I was only half
done. Toward the end she pulled hard on her straws and
went shloop, shloop. 13 13
How do you think the narrator’s
“Do you always slurp when you eat a milkshake?” I asked,
family and culture are a part
before I could stop myself. of what makes her who she
Meg grinned. “Sure. All Americans slurp.” ❍ is? Write your answer on the
“All-American Slurp” page of
Vocabulary
coping (KOHP ing) v. successfully dealing with something difficult Challenge later.

Matthew Klein/CORBIS
After You Read The All-American Slurp
Answering the
1. What are your thoughts about what makes us who we are after reading
“The All-American Slurp”?
2. Recall What “mistakes” does the Lin family make at the Gleasons’
dinner party?
T IP Right There
3. Recall How does the narrator get her mother to buy her a pair
of jeans?
T IP Right There
Critical Thinking
4. Infer Why does the narrator run and hide in the elegant restaurant?
T IP Author and Me
5. Evaluate Why do you think it was easier for the narrator to pick up
American customs than for her parents?
T IP Author and Me
6. Synthesize By the end of the story, how had the narrator and her
family changed or become more comfortable with their American
surroundings?

Write to Learn Choose one of the following activities:
• Imagine that you are a member of the Lin family and are just getting
Objectives (pp. 396–397) used to life in America. Write a postcard to a friend in China, describing
Reading Visualize • Make connections one way in which Chinese and American customs seem very different.
from text to self
Literature Identify stereotyping
• Write a letter to the narrator, comparing some of your experiences
Vocabulary Use context clues: definition with hers.
Writing Respond to literature • Draw a cartoon strip that shows what happens at a dinner with the Lins
Grammar Use end punctuation correctly
and the Gleasons. Be sure to write captions for each picture (a sentence
that tells what is going on in the picture) or some speech bubbles.

CORBIS
Skills Review English Language Coach: Using

Context Clues
Key Reading Skill: Visualizing 16. Which words in the following sentence restate the
7. Did visualizing parts of the story help you meaning of the underlined word?
to understand what was happening and enjoy the
story? Explain. Eating buffet style was alien, or strange and
unfamiliar, to the Lin family.
8. Imagine that you had to draw a scene from the
story. What scene would it be? Describe the
details from the story that help you to picture
the scene. Grammar Link: End
Punctuation
Literary Element: Stereotyping
Different types of sentences have different purposes.
9. What did the Lin family and the Gleason The punctuation at the end of a sentence must match
family do that might keep them from forming the purpose of the sentence.
stereotypes? • A declarative sentence simply makes a statement. It
always ends with a period.
Reviewing Skills: Connecting Example: She saw the bus go by.
10. How did your own experiences or previous read-
• An interrogative sentence asks a question. It always
ing help you connect to the story? Use examples
ends with a question mark.
from the story to explain how you connected.
Example: Are you ready to go?
• An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling.
Vocabulary Check It ends with an exclamation point.
Example: I can’t believe it!
Write the correct vocabulary word for each sentence.
• An imperative sentence gives a command. It may
coping lavishly consumption
end with a period or, if the command is forceful, an
disgraced spectacle
exclamation point.
11. The chef praised the wonderful meal. Examples: Please hand me a glass. Don’t drop it!
12. Owen’s behavior caused him to make a
of himself. Remember: The purpose of the sentence determines
13. Owen’s family was embarrassed because he the end punctuation.
them.
14. with a difficult problem is hard. Grammar Practice
15. My of cookies doubled when I learned to Add correct end punctuation to these sentences.
bake them myself. 17. That makes me furious
18. We went to visit friends
19. Do you like dumplings
20. Celery is a vegetable
21. Stop slurping right this minute

Writing Application Look back at the writing
Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to activity you did in this part of the Workshop. Make
www.glencoe.com. sure you have used the right end punctuation for
every sentence.

WRITING WORKSHOP PART 1
Poetry
Prewriting and Drafting
Writing a poem will help you think about the Unit 4 Big Question:
ASSIGNMENT Write a What makes you who you are?
poem
Purpose: To write a Prewriting
poem about what makes
you who you are Get Ready to Write
Audience: You, your
teacher, classmates, Writing a poem is like writing a song. Poets use rhythm and often use
family, and friends rhyme. They also use a lot fewer words than writers of fiction and
nonfiction. Most importantly, poets use word images to describe emotions.
In this Writing Workshop, you will learn how to express yourself using these
Writing Rubric poetic devices.
As you work through this
writing assignment, you
Gather Ideas
should In your Learner’s Notebook, write a short paragraph describing one of your
• think about what makes personality traits.
you who you are
• use poetic forms such as My name is Max, and I like to talk. Sometimes, talking
lines and stanzas gets me in trouble with my teacher or parents. The
• choose words appropriate reason I talk so much is that I like to make people laugh.
to your purpose and
audience
My mom says that I should be a comedian because I’m
always making up jokes and cheering people up when
See page 438 in Part 2 for a
model of a poem.
they’re feeling down.
Now, write a short paragraph about an activity that you enjoy (for example,
soccer, reading, drawing, karate).
Objectives (pp. 398–401) I really like gymnastics. I practice at the gym three days
Writing Use the writing process:
prewrite, draft • Write a poem a week after school. My coach is really cool, and right
• Use literary elements: now we are working on back handsprings. I think gym-
conventions of poetry,
word choice nastics is a great sport for both boys and girls because it
Grammar Identify complete makes your body strong and flexible.
sentences

Choose a Topic
Pick a characteristic about yourself, or an activity that is important to you,
as the topic of your poem. On a fresh sheet of paper in your Learner’s
Writing Models For models and
Notebook, write your name and topic on the first line. Make a list of words other writing activities, go to
and phrases that come to mind when you think about that topic. www.glencoe.com.
Max Jones Talkative Stephanie Carter Gymnastics

Laughter Balance Beam
Voice Competition
My mother Sprained ankle
After school detention Back handspring
Drafting
Start Writing!
Pick an item from the list you made in your Learner’s Notebook. On a single
line of paper, write your feelings about this item. This can be the first line of
your poem. Keep writing, using the ideas from your list.
Writing Tip
Get It on Paper Writing poetry is like drawing
a picture with words. Describe
Poems are written in single lines of text. Many poems are divided into little details to make your
groups of lines called stanzas. Read the poem below. Notice that the verse is picture interesting. For
divided into four different stanzas. The bird’s key is the highness or lowness example, instead of writing
of the notes in his song. My cat is soft, write the details
that make your cat soft: My cat
A Minor Bird looks like a dust mop and feels
by Robert Frost like a down pillow.
I have wished a bird would fly away,

And not sing by my house all day; Writing Tip
Poetry doesn’t require com-
Have clapped my hands at him from the door plete sentences or perfect
When it seemed as if I could bear no more. punctuation. Don’t worry
about these things as you
The fault must partly have been in me. write your draft. Just get your
The bird was not to blame for his key. main idea and feelings down
on paper. You can experiment
And of course there must be something wrong with punctuation and gram-
In wanting to silence any song. mar later in the workshop.
In your own poem, skip a line and start a new stanza when you begin a new
idea or extend an idea further.
Writing Workshop Part 1 Poetry 399

Analyzing Cartoons
The boy’s dad has just used the
expression “super duper.” What
do you think that means?
Would you ever use that
expression when you talk to
Applying Good Writing Traits your friends or in your writing?
Why or why not?
Word Choice
So many words and so little time! The English
language has hundreds of thousands of words.
How do you decide which ones to use?
What Is Word Choice?

Word choice is choosing words that make your
writing clear, interesting, and easy to understand.
Why Is Word Choice Important?

Words that are thoughtfully chosen make readers
remember your writing long after they have fin-
ished reading. Imagine that you spent hours
cleaning your room. You dusted, vacuumed, and
even cleaned under your bed! You call your par-
ents to show off your hard work, and all they say
permession of
is, “Good job.” Is good the word that you were REAL LIFE ADVENTURES ©
UNIVERSAL SYNDICATE. All
1997 GarLanco. Reprinted with
right reserved.
hoping for? Probably not. Terrific, amazing, or

incredible all would have been better words for
that situation. People who read your poetry want
the same thing—descriptive words that are care-
• Add adjectives and adverbs to your writing.
fully chosen.
Instead of writing about the shopping mall,
write about the crowded shopping mall.
How Do I Use Word Choice in My
• Instead of saying the dog chased the ball,
Writing? explain that the dog slowly chased the old,
• Use lively verbs to show action. Try to replace green, tennis ball.
boring verbs such as do and make with more Write to Learn Activity Write a short review
exciting words such as perform and create. of the last movie you saw. Tell why you liked it or
• Use words that match your purpose. As you why you didn’t like it and recommend whether
write, consider who your readers are. Try to your readers should see it or not. As you write,
use words that you know your readers use and use adjectives, adverbs, and words that match
will understand. For example, if you are writing your purpose and audience.
a letter to your grandparents, you may use dif-
ferent words than if you were writing a letter to
a friend.

REAL LIFE ADVENTURES 1997 GarLanco. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All rights reserved
Grammar Link: Complete Sentences

One thing all sentences have in common is that My sister is thinking about moving to Greece.
they must be complete. Whom is this sentence about? My sister.
My sister is the subject of this sentence.
What Is a Complete Sentence? Use a Verb
A complete sentence is a group of words that The verb part of a sentence expresses action or a
includes a state of being.
• subject DeMarcus plans his birthday party.
What does DeMarcus do in this sentence? He
• verb
plans his birthday party.
• complete thought Plans is the verb of this sentence.
A sentence does not have to be long to be DeMarcus is twelve years old. Is links the
complete. These are all complete sentences: subject with words that describe him.
Cows moo. Express a Complete Thought
I am tired. Sometimes, it’s not enough to just include
Francine laughed. a subject and a verb. You must not leave a
reader hanging, wondering what else is
Why Are Complete Sentences supposed to be there.
Important? Fragment: When Joey yelled.
Your sentences must include a subject, a verb, Complete: I jumped when Joey yelled.
and a complete thought to be understood by Complete: When Joey yelled, we came running.
readers. Sentences that do not meet all three
requirements are called sentence fragments. If Write to Learn Copy these sentences into your
your writing includes fragments, readers may not Learner’s Notebook. Next to each, write “C” if it is
understand what you mean. a complete sentence. Write “F” if it is a sentence
fragment.
How Do I Write Complete 1. Ryan went home.
Sentences? 2. Stopped to tie her shoes.
Include a Subject 3. A dog with huge and muddy paws.
The subject of a sentence tells whom or what
the sentence is about. It always includes a noun 4. We saw Teresa at the game.
or pronoun. 5. While he was playing the trumpet.
6. Slipped and fell all the way down the stairs.
Looking Ahead
Part 2 of this Writing Workshop is coming up later. Be sure to keep
the writing you have done so far.

READING WORKSHOP 2
Skills Focus
You will practice using these skills when you Skill Lesson
read the following selections:
• “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” p. 406
• “Geraldine Moore the Poet,” p. 412
Responding to
Reading
What You Read
• Responding to what you
read Learn It!
Literature What Is It? When you read something you enjoy,
you respond to what you read in a personal way.
• Identifying rhyme, Reading becomes much more meaningful when
rhythm, and meter you pay attention to
R
• what you like
Vocabulary
• what you find surprising
• Using context clues that • what you find interesting
involve definitions
• what the writer makes you feel
• Understanding idioms
Writing/Grammar
• Identifying sentence
fragments Analyzing Cartoons
Baldo says that an angry response is
better than no response.
Do you believe that any response is
better than none?
All rights reserved.

ICATE. Reprinted with permission.
Dist. By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYND
BALDO © 2004 Baldo Partnership.

Reading Respond to literature
402 UNIT 4
BALDO, Baldo Partnership. Dist. By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
402-403_U4_RW2-845476.indd 402 3/9/07 10:45:03 AM

READING WORKSHOP 2 • Responding
Why Is It Important? When you read actively and respond thoughtfully,

you enjoy a selection more. You also learn and remember more from what
you read. When you respond to a selection, you
Study Central Visit www.glencoe
• ask questions .com and click on Study Central to
• connect it to your own life review responding to what
• may even argue with the author you read.
How Do I Do It? As you read, think about how you feel about the story
elements or ideas in a selection.
• What’s your reaction to the characters in a story?
• What grabs your attention as you read?
Read the following excerpt from Shel Silverstein’s poem, “Whatif.”
Whatif I get beat up?

Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Here is how one student responded to this poem:
I read about someone wondering about being beat up or

poisoned, crying, and getting sick and dying. I feel afraid
of some of these things myself. I often worry that I might
cry. I wonder whether any of the things in this poem hap-
pened to the speaker and what would I do if any of them
happened to me.
Practice It!
Divide a page in your Learner’s Notebook into three columns. Label the
first one “I read . . .” Label the second one “I think/feel . . .” Label the third
one, “I wonder . . .”
Use these to help you write your response to the lines above from
“Whatif.”
Use It!
As you read “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” and “Geraldine Moore the Poet,”
use the “I read” column to write down the words and phrases that trigger
questions and feelings. Write your thoughts and feelings in the “I think/
feel,” column. List the questions that come to your mind in the
“I wonder” column.
Reading Workshop 2 Responding 403

Kevin Dodge/CORBIS
Before You Read Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Vocabulary Preview
Write to Learn A phobia (FO bee uh) is a deep fear or dread of
something. With a partner, use a dictionary to find out what fear, or
phobia, each of these words names: zoophobia, agoraphobia,
xenophobia, arachnophobia.
M a ya
A ng elo u
Context Clues The “context” of a word is the other words and
Meet the Author sentences around it. The context of an unfamiliar word often contains clues
Maya Angelou was born to its meaning. Sometimes a word’s context will actually define the word.
Marguerite Johnson on Definitions are usually introduced with clue words. For example: “The plant
April 4, 1928. She became has begun to germinate, which means that it is starting to sprout.” Maybe
an accomplished actress, you don’t know what “germinate” means. Then you read the clue words
director, educator, poet, and “which means.” These words tell you that “germinate” means “to start
author of twelve best-selling to sprout.”
books. She once said, “I can
be changed by what happens Word
to me. But I refuse to be
germinate
reduced by it.” See page R1
of the Author Files for more
on Maya Angelou.
Clue Words
which means
Author Search For more about
Maya Angelou, go to www.
glencoe.com.
Meaning
to start to sprout
Other times, a word’s context may provide another way of saying the same
thing. For example, “We expected Luis to bungle the science experiment,
but he didn’t mess up a step.”
On Your Own In your Learner’s Notebook, write the meaning of the

word bungle from the sentence above. List the context clues that helped
you figure out the word’s meaning.

Gregory Pace/CORBIS Sygma

Key Reading Skill: Responding Connect to the Reading
More than most kinds of writing, poetry asks you to What used to scare you, but no longer does? What
respond. Poems don’t spell everything out; they give helped you get over your fear?
you hints and clues. They often offer ideas that you
“get” only if you make connections to your own feel- Write to Learn In your Learner’s Notebook, create
ings and experiences. As you read “Life Doesn’t and fill in a chart like the one below.
Frighten Me,” ask yourself these questions:
• What would that look like? Overcoming Fears
• What does that make me think of? Fear How I Overcame It
• How would that make me feel?
• Does this word have more than one meaning?
Should I think of both of them?
Build Background
Key Literary Element: Rhyme, Rhythm, Most people experience one or more of the following
and Meter fears at some point during their childhood:
A rhyme is made up of words whose sounds match, • monsters • getting lost
such as sing and ring or money and honey.
• the dark • doctors and shots
• Rhyme can occur at the end of lines or within a line.
• deep water • thunderstorms
• Rhymes form patterns that connect the lines of
the poem.
Set Purposes for Reading
Rhythm is the pattern of beats made by parts that are Read the poem “Life Doesn’t
meant to be stressed (spoken with greater force) and Frighten Me” to understand what makes the speaker
the parts that are meant to be softer. the person she is.
In this poem, the stressed syllables are underlined. Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
You can see that the rhythm is very regular, which is to learn from the poem that may help you answer the
not the case in all poems. Big Question? Write your own purpose on the “Life
The monsters of the night Doesn’t Frighten Me” page of Foldable 4.
Will soon enough be gone.
They disappear at sunrise
In the first faint light of dawn.
Meter is a predictable rhythm.
• To find the meter of a poem, read it aloud. Interactive Literary Elements Handbook
• As you read, listen for the pattern of stressed and elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
unstressed syllables.
As you read “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” look for

• rhyming words Keep Moving
• rhythmic beats
Use these skills as you read the following
• a steady meter selection.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me 405

READING WORKSHOP 2
by Maya Angelou
Fatima, 1994. Elizabeth Hodges. Acrylic.
Shadows on the wall Practice the Skills

Noises down the hall
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Bad dogs barking loud
5 Big ghosts in a cloud
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Mean old Mother Goose*

Lions on the loose
They don’t frighten me at all
10 Dragons breathing flame 1 1 Key Reading Skill
On my counterpane* Responding Notice how the
That doesn’t frighten me at all poet uses examples of things
many people fear, such as loose
lions, fiery dragons, and ghosts.
Were you ever afraid of any
of these things?
7 Mother Goose is said to be the author of many English nursery rhymes, although people are
not sure where the name comes from.
11 A counterpane is a bedspread or quilt.

Elizabeth Barakah Hodges/SuperStock
READING WORKSHOP 2
I go boo Practice the Skills

Make them shoo
15 I make fun
Way they run

I won’t cry
So they fly
I just smile
20 They go wild
Tough guys in a fight

All alone at night
25 Panthersin the park

Strangers in the dark 2 2 Key Literary Element
No, they don’t frighten me at all. Rhyme, Rhythm, and
Meter What are some words in
That new classroom where this poem that rhyme?
Boys all pull my hair
30 (Kissy little girls 3 3 English Language Coach
With their hair in curls) Context Clues The word kissy
They don’t frighten me at all. is probably new to you. From
the context, what do you think it
means?
Don’t show me frogs and snakes
And listen for my scream,
35 If I’m afraid at all
It’s only in my dreams.
I’ve got a magic charm 4 Key Reading Skill

That I keep up my sleeve, 4 Responding What do you think
I can walk the ocean floor the speaker’s magic charm could
40 And never have to breathe. be? Why do you think she didn’t
tell you what it is?
Life doesn’t frighten me at all

Not at all 5
Not at all. 5 Discuss with a partner what
made the speaker want to look
Life doesn’t frighten me at all. ❍
like a brave person. Write your
answers on the “Life Doesn’t
Frighten Me” page of Foldable 4.
Your response will help you com-
plete the Unit Challenge later.

After You Read Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Answering the
1. How does the way you respond to scary situations make you who
you are?
2. What are the first two things that the poem’s speaker mentions?
T IP Right There
3. Recall According to the speaker, what is the only time she is afraid?
T IP Right There
4. Summarize What are three fears that the speaker mentions in
the poem?
Critical Thinking
5. Infer Does life frighten the speaker at all?
T IP Author and Me
6. Visualize Picture the speaker using her magic charm. What do you see
as you visualize that scene? Explain.
T IP Author and Me
7. Respond Do you want to be like the speaker of this poem? Why or
why not?
T IP On My Own
8. Evaluate Is the speaker of this poem a believable character? Explain.
T IP On My Own
Reading Respond to literature • Make
connections from text to self
Literature Identify poetic features: rhyme, Write a letter to the speaker in the poem.
rhythm, meter
Vocabulary Use context clues: definition,
• Tell her how you felt when you read her poem.
restatement • Name something that you are afraid of.
Writing Respond to literature: personal
letter
• Tell her how you handle your fear.
Grammar Identify sentence fragments

Elizabeth Barakah Hodges/SuperStock
Skills Review Grammar Link: Fragments

Key Reading Skill: Responding Many times, poets do not write in complete sentences.
They may think that fragments, incomplete sentences,
9. Poets want readers to react to their poetry. What
sound better. Maya Angelou uses both sentences and
do you think Angelou hoped this poem would
fragments in her poem. To spot sentences, remember
cause you to think or feel?
that
10. The speaker of “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” first
• sentences have subjects and verbs. Fragments may
lists harmless things that young children fear.
be missing either a subject or a verb.
Then she lists things that might be real fears for
older kids. Do you think that her statement “Life • subjects can be nouns (people, places, animals,
doesn’t frighten me at all” is true? things) or pronouns (I, we, you, he, she, it, they).
A fragment may have no subject and look like this:
Cooked her favorite meal.
Key Literary Element: Rhyme, Rhythm,
and Meter • verbs are “action words’” (describing what the sub-
ject does) or “being words” (describing what the
11. Would “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” be as much fun
subject is, was, or will be). A fragment may have no
to read if it didn’t rhyme? Why or why not?
verb and look like this: All the students in the class.
12. Do you think this poem could become a song or
a rap? Why or why not? Remember: Use complete sentences for school
assignments and business writing. Use fragments only
in creative writing or in conversation with family
Vocabulary Check and friends.
English Language Coach: Context Clues Grammar Practice
For each word in dark type, write the word’s Identify which of the following are fragments and
meaning and the clue words you used to figure which are complete sentences. Remember, a sentence
out the meaning. has both a subject and a verb.
13. Lily is studying calligraphy, which is the art of 16. Mean old Mother Goose.
fine handwriting.
17. Tough guys run away when they see me coming.
14. Norman used a template, or pattern, for cutting
18. Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
the wood to build his mother a birdhouse.
19. Not at all.
15. I wish my mother would not admonish me
in front of my friends. Being scolded is so
embarrassing. Writing Application Read the letter you wrote.
Make sure your sentences are complete.

www.glencoe.com.

Before You Read Geraldine Moore the Poet
Vocabulary Preview
muttered (MUT urd) v. spoke quietly to complain or express anger;
form of the verb mutter (p. 412) He muttered because he
was annoyed.
minded (MYN did) v. took charge of; form of the verb mind (p. 412)
I minded my little brother for my mom.
To n
i C a d e B a m b ara
shrugged (shrugd) v. raised the shoulders to show doubt, lack of interest,
or uncertainty; form of the verb shrug (p. 412) Leon shrugged because
he didn’t care.
Meet the Author
manufacturing (man yuh FAK chur ing) v. making out of raw materials;
Toni Cade Bambara grew up
form of the verb manufacture (p. 415) The factory is manufacturing steel.
in and near New York City.
She was an author, college moist (moyst) adj. just wet enough to notice (p. 415) She noticed that her
professor, and social activist. hair was moist from the steam.
She wrote most of her work expressing (eks PRES ing) n. the act of making feelings or opinions known
in the 1960s and 1970s. Toni (p. 416) Expressing how she felt about writing was difficult
Cade added “Bambara” to for Geraldine.
her name after she found the whimper (WIM pur) n. a soft cry (p. 417) Our dog would let out a soft
name on a sketchbook in her whimper when she wanted to go fetch.
great-grandmother’s trunk.
See page R1 of the Author
Files on Toni Cade Bambara. English Language Coach
Context Clues Some words in English are put together into idioms, or
phrases with special meaning. You often have to use context clues to
understand the meaning of these idioms. Read these sentences containing EL
idioms. See if you can use the context to figure out what the idiom means.
Toni Cade Bambara, go to www.
glencoe.com. Write the meaning in your Learner’s Notebook.
Idiom Idiom in Context
Keep your chin up This may be the third time you’ve taken
the driver’s test, but you have to keep your
chin up.
Objectives (pp. 410–417) Over the top The boy just cleaned his room. Don’t you
Reading Respond to literature • Make think it was over the top to celebrate the
connections from text to self clean room with a party?
Literature Identify point of view: third-
person limited, third-person omniscient
Vocabulary Use context clues to Rise and shine Get out of bed now; it’s time to rise and
understand idioms shine.

courtesy of Toni Cade Bambara
408-411_U4_RW2-845476.indd 410 3/13/07 11:19:56 AM


Key Reading Skill: Responding Connect to the Reading
Think about how you feel when you come home from
Responding to what you read may, at times, make
school.
you feel sad. Does that mean you should try not to
respond? That’s a difficult question, isn’t it? Most of • What would it be like if you didn’t have a place to
us would rather feel happy than sad. But sometimes, come home to?
if we want to learn about and understand other • As you read this story, let yourself feel what the
people, we have to let ourselves feel things that may main character goes through.
be painful. As you read “Geraldine Moore the Poet,”
try to imagine her life and her feelings, even if your Partner Talk Share with a partner how your home
response is to feel sad. Ask yourself some of these and family help to make you who you are.
questions as you read. • Who lives with you?
• How would that feel? • What is your favorite thing to do at home?
• Would I be able to do that? • What responsibilities do you have at home?
• How would I handle that?
Build Background
Partner Talk Talk with a partner about reading sad The number of Americans who have no place to live
stories or seeing sad movies. Do you think there’s any has risen in the last 25 years. There are many
reason to do it? Why do you think people create reasons why people find themselves homeless.
them?
• It costs a great deal of money to buy or rent
Literary Element: Point of View a home.
As you learned in Unit 3, when the narrator of a story • Some cities do not have enough homes for people
is not a character in the story, the narration is called to buy or rent at prices they can afford.
“third-person point of view.” There are two main kinds • Sometimes people with low-paying jobs, or who
of third-person point of view. lose their jobs, cannot get help to find a place
to live.
Third-person limited is called “limited” for a reason.
What the narrator knows (and reveals) is limited to Set Purposes for Reading
what one character can see, hear, or think. Read “Geraldine Moore the
Poet” to find out what experiences made Geraldine
Third-person omniscient is called “omniscient”
the person she is.
because that word means “all-knowing.” The narrator
knows (and reveals) the knowledge and thoughts of Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
many or all of the characters. to learn from the story to help you answer the Big
Question? Write your own purpose on the “Geraldine
Moore” page of Foldable 4.

selection.
Geraldine Moore the Poet 411

READING WORKSHOP 2
by Toni Cade Bambara
G eraldine1 paused at the corner to pull up her knee socks.

The rubber bands she was using to hold them up made her
Practice the Skills
legs itch. She dropped her books on the sidewalk while she
gave a good scratch. But when she pulled the socks up again,
two fingers poked right through the top of her left one.
“That stupid dog,” she muttered to herself, grabbing at her
books and crossing against traffic. “First he chews up my L
gym suit and gets me into trouble, and now my socks.”
Geraldine shifted her books to the other hand and kept
muttering angrily to herself about Mrs. Watson’s dog, which
she minded two days a week for a dollar. She passed the hot- 1 Key Reading Skill
dog man on the corner and waved. He shrugged as if to say Responding What’s your
business was very bad. 1 response to Geraldine so far? R
Explain.
Must be, she thought to herself. Three guys before you had to
pack up and forget it. Nobody’s got hot-dog money around here. 2 2 Reviewing Skill
Geraldine turned down her street, wondering what her Drawing Conclusions
sister Anita would have for her lunch. She was glad she didn’t Geraldine is wearing socks held
have to eat the free lunches in high school any more. She was up by rubber bands. For a dollar
a week, she minds a dog that
chews her clothes. She says that
1. Geraldine (jehr uhl DEEN)
no one in her neighborhood
has money to buy hot dogs.
Vocabulary
What can you conclude about
muttered (MUT urd) v. spoke quietly to complain or express anger Geraldine?
minded (MYN did) v. took charge of
shrugged (shrugd) v. raised the shoulders to show doubt, lack of interest,
or uncertainty
412-417_U4_RW2-845476.indd 412 3/9/07 10:46:08 AM

READING WORKSHOP 2
sick of the funny-looking tomato soup and
The Reader # 1, 1999. Diana Ong (b.1940).

the dried-out cheese sandwiches and those
oranges that were more green than orange.
When Geraldine’s mother first took sick
and went away, Geraldine had been on her
own except when Miss Gladys next door
came in on Thursdays and cleaned the
apartment and made a meat loaf so
Geraldine could have dinner. But in those
days Geraldine never quite managed to get
breakfast for herself. So she’d sit through
social studies class, scraping her feet to
cover up the noise of her stomach growling.
Analyzing the Art Does this look to you
Now Anita,2 Geraldine’s older sister, was living at home like it could be a picture of Geraldine
waiting for her husband to get out of the Army. She usually Moore? Why or why not?
had something good for lunch—chicken and dumplings if
she managed to get up in time, or baked ham from the night
before and sweet-potato bread. But even if there was only a
hot dog and some baked beans—sometimes just a TV dinner
Practice the Skills
if those soap operas3 kept Anita glued to the TV set—
anything was better than the noisy school lunchroom where
monitors4 kept pushing you into a straight line or rushing
you to the tables. Anything was better than that.
Geraldine was almost home when she stopped dead. Right
outside her building was a pile of furniture and some boxes.
That wasn’t anything new. She had seen people get put out in
the street before, but this time the ironing board looked
familiar. And she recognized the big, ugly sofa standing on
its arm, its under-belly showing the hole where Mrs. Watson’s
dog had gotten to it. 3 3 Key Reading Skill
5
Miss Gladys was sitting on the stoop, and she looked up Responding What grabs your
and took off her glasses. “Well, Gerry,” she said slowly, attention in this paragraph? Why?
wiping her glasses on the hem of her dress, “looks like you’ll
be staying with me for a while.” She looked at the men
carrying out a big box with an old doll sticking up over the
edge. “Anita’s upstairs. Go on up and get your lunch.”
2. Anita (uh NEE tuh)

3. Soap operas are continuing stories on daytime TV. They usually involve very dramatic situations.
4. In the passage, monitors are students who do tasks for teachers or around the school.
5. In this case, a stoop is a porch, stairway entrance, or small platform at the door of a house or
apartment building.

Diana Ong/SuperStock
READING WORKSHOP 2
Geraldine stepped past the old woman and almost bumped

into the superintendent.6 He took off his cap to wipe away the
Practice the Skills
sweat.
“Darn shame,” he said to no one in particular. “Poor people
sure got a hard row to hoe.” 4 4 English Language Coach
“That’s the truth,” said Miss Gladys, standing up with her Context Clues The superinten-
hands on her hips to watch the men set things on the dent says that “Poor people sure
sidewalk. got a hard row to hoe.” This
expression is an idiom. Look up
Upstairs, Geraldine went into the apartment and found
the word hoe. Look at the con-
Anita in the kitchen. text of the sentence. What does
“I dunno, Gerry,” Anita said. “I just don’t know what we’re the idiom tell how you about
going to do. But everything’s going to be all right soon as Ma how the superintendent feels
gets well.” Anita’s voice cracked as she set a bowl of soup about Geraldine’s situation?
before Geraldine.
“What’s this?” Geraldine said.
“It’s tomato soup, Gerry.”
Geraldine was about to say something. But when she
looked up at her big sister, she saw how Anita’s face was
getting all twisted as she began to cry. 5 5 Key Reading Skill
That afternoon, Mr. Stern, the geometry teacher, started Responding How do you feel
drawing cubes and cylinders on the board. Geraldine sat at about the girls’ future after see-
her desk adding up a column of figures in her notebook—the ing how Anita acts when she
talks about Ma?
rent, the light and gas bills, a new gym suit, some socks.
Maybe they would move
somewhere else, and she could
have her own room. Geraldine
turned the squares and triangles
into little houses in the country.
“For your homework,” Mr. Stern
was saying with his back to the
class, “set up your problems this
way.” He wrote GIVEN: in large
letters, and then gave the formula7
for the first problem. Then he
wrote TO FIND: and listed three
items they were to include in
their answers.
Chicago, Illinois: Public Art, 1978.
Franklin McMahon. Polymer painting.
6. A building superintendent (soo pur in TEN dint) is a person who is in charge of a building.
Analyzing the Art What feeling do
A superintendent’s job may include fixing broken things for people who live in the building,
you get when you look at this painting?
collecting rent, and cleaning.
Is it similar to the feeling you get from
7. A geometry formula (FOR myoo luh) is a rule students use to solve geometry problems. reading this story? Explain.

Franklin McMahon/CORBIS
READING WORKSHOP 2
Geraldine started to raise her hand to ask what all these Practice the Skills
squares and angles had to do with solving real problems, like
the ones she had. Better not, she warned herself, and sat on
her hands. Your big mouth got you in trouble last term.
In hygiene class,8 Mrs. Potter kept saying that the body was
a wonderful machine. Every time Geraldine looked up from
her notebook, she would hear the same thing. “Right now
your body is manufacturing all the proteins and tissues and
energy you will need to get through tomorrow.”
And Geraldine kept wondering, How? How does my body
know what it will need, when I don’t even know what I’ll need to
get through tomorrow?
As she headed down the hall to her next class, Geraldine
remembered that she hadn’t done the homework for English.
Mrs. Scott had said to write a poem, and Geraldine had C
R
meant to do it at lunchtime. After all, there was nothing to
EL
it—a flower here, a raindrop there, moon, June, rose, nose. But
the men carrying off the furniture had made her forget. 6 6 Literary Element
And now put away your books,” Mrs. Scott was saying as Point of View Is this story
Geraldine tried to scribble a poem quickly. “Today we can told from a third-person limited
give King Arthur’s knights a rest. Let’s talk about poetry.” point of view or a third-person
omniscient point of view
Mrs. Scott moved up and down the aisles, talking about
(showing the thoughts of several
her favorite poems and reciting a line now and then. She got characters)? Why do you think
very excited whenever she passed a desk and could pick up Bambara chose to use this point
the homework from a student who had remembered to do of view?
the assignment.
“A poem is your own special way of saying what you feel
and what you see,” Mrs. Scott went on, her lips moist. It was
her favorite subject.
“Some poets write about the light that . . . that . . . makes
the world sunny,” she said, passing Geraldine’s desk.
“Sometimes an idea takes the form of a picture—an image.”
For almost half an hour, Mrs. Scott stood at the front of the
room, reading poems and talking about the lives of the great
poets. Geraldine drew more houses, and designs for curtains.
8. A hygiene (HY jeen) class is the same as a health class. Students learn how to get and
stay healthy.
Vocabulary
manufacturing (man yuh FAK chur ing) v. making out of raw materials
moist (moyst) adj. just wet enough to notice
412-417_U4_RW2-845476.indd 415 3/9/07 10:46:12 AM

READING WORKSHOP 2
“So for those who haven’t done their

homework, try it now,” Mrs. Scott said.
“Try expressing what it is like to be . . . to
be alive in this . . . this glorious world.”
“Oh, brother,” Geraldine muttered to
herself as Mrs. Scott moved up and down
the aisles again, waving her hands and
leaning over the students’ shoulders and
saying, “That’s nice,” or “Keep trying.”
Finally she came to Geraldine’s desk and
stopped, looking down at her.
“I can’t write a poem,” Geraldine said
flatly, before she even realized she was
going to speak at all. She said it very
loudly, and the whole class looked up.
“And why not?” Mrs. Scott asked,
looking hurt.
“I can’t write a poem, Mrs. Scott,
because nothing lovely’s been happening
in my life. I haven’t seen a flower since
Mother’s Day, and the sun don’t even
shine on my side of the street. No robins Portrait in Orange, Diana Ong
come sing on my window sill.” Analyzing the Art You can respond to art as well as to a story or poem
you read. How do you respond to this picture? Explain.
Geraldine swallowed hard. She thought
about saying that her father doesn’t even come to visit any
more, but changed her mind. “Just the rain comes,” she went Practice the Skills
on, “and the bills come, and the men to move out our
furniture. I’m sorry, but I can’t write no pretty poem.”
Teddy Johnson leaned over and was about to giggle and
crack the whole class up, but Mrs. Scott looked so serious that
he changed his mind.
“You have just said the most . . . the most poetic thing,
Geraldine Moore,” said Mrs. Scott. Her hands flew up to
touch the silk scarf around her neck. “‘Nothing lovely’s been
happening in my life.’” She repeated it so quietly that
everyone had to lean forward to hear. 7 7 Key Reading Skill
“Class,” Mrs. Scott said very sadly, clearing her throat, “you Responding How does Mrs.
have just heard the best poem you will ever hear.” She went Scott react to Geraldine’s out-
burst? How did you react?
Vocabulary
expressing (eks PRES ing) n. the act of making feelings or opinions known

Diana Ong/SuperStock
READING WORKSHOP 2
to the board and stood there for a long time staring at the Practice the Skills
chalk in her hand.
“I’d like you to copy it down,” she said. She wrote it just as
Geraldine had said it, bad grammar and all.
Nothing lovely’s been happening in my life.
I haven’t seen a flower since Mother’s Day,
And the sun don’t even shine on my side of the street.
No robins come sing on my window sill.
Just the rain comes, and the bills come,
And the men to move out our furniture.
I’m sorry, but I can’t write no pretty poem. 8 8
Geraldine’s poem is very dif-
Mrs. Scott stopped writing, but she kept her back to the ferent from the kind of poem
class for a long time—long after Geraldine had closed Mrs. Scott asked students to
write. What does Geraldine’s
her notebook.
poem say about what has made
And even when the bell rang, and everyone came over to her the person she is? Explain
BQ
smile at Geraldine or to tap her on the shoulder or to kid her your answer on the “Geraldine
about being the school poet, Geraldine waited for Mrs. Scott Moore” page of Foldable 4. Your
to put the chalk down and turn around. Finally Geraldine response will help you complete
the Unit Challenge later.
stacked up her books and started to leave. Then she thought
she heard a whimper—the way Mrs. Watson’s dog
whimpered sometimes—and she saw Mrs. Scott’s shoulders
shake a little. 9 ❍ 9 Key Reading Skill
Responding How do you feel
about Mrs. Scott after the way
she acts at the end of the story?
Vocabulary
whimper (WIM pur) n. a soft cry
412-417_U4_RW2-845476.indd 417 3/9/07 10:46:14 AM

After You Read Geraldine Moore the Poet
Answering the
1. Describe one experience in Geraldine’s life that helped make her the
person she was.
2. Recall Who is taking care of Geraldine at the time she writes her
poem?
T IP Right There
3. Infer From Geraldine’s comments about other people who live in her
neighborhood, what can you guess about them?
Critical Thinking
4. Interpret What might the author be using Geraldine’s story to say
about people and problems in the world in general?
T IP Author and Me
5. Evaluate Geraldine is sometimes angry about what her life has
become. Does she have a right to be angry? Give reasons for your
answer.
T IP Author and Me
6. Connect Who would you depend on if your parents or guardians could
not take care of you?
T IP On My Own
7. Respond What event or detail in this story grabbed your attention the
most? Why?
T IP On My Own
Reading Respond to literature
Literature Identify point of view Write About Your Reading
Vocabulary Use context clues to
Write a journal entry as if you are Geraldine and it is a year after the events
understand idioms
Writing Respond to literature: journal in this story took place.
Grammar Identify sentence fragments • What has changed in your life?
• Fix sentence fragments
• Where are you living?
• How are your mother and your sister?
• How do you feel about the world now?

Richard Hutchings/PhotoEdit
Skills Review Grammar Link: Fixing

Key Reading Skill: Responding Fragments
8. Authors and poets hope that people will respond Do not use sentence fragments when you write for
to what they read. Imagine talking with the school or business. Remember, a fragment is a group
author of “Geraldine Moore the Poet.” What of words that’s missing one or more of the require-
would you tell her about how you felt when you ments for a sentence. Those requirements are a sub-
read her story? ject, a verb, and a complete thought.
• The blue shirt with long sleeves. (What about the
Literary Element: Point of View shirt? This fragment needs a verb.)
9. This story was written from a third-person limited • Ran like crazy toward home plate. (Who or what
point of view. Only Geraldine’s thoughts were ran? This fragment needs a subject.)
revealed. If you were to rewrite this story from
• If Nina makes dinner. (What if she does? There’s a
another character’s point of view, which character
subject and a verb, but the thought isn’t complete.)
would you choose? Why?
Fragments can result from ending a sentence before
Reviewing Skills: Drawing Conclusions you’ve ended your thought. The whole thought may
10. From what you know about Geraldine Moore, be there, but it’s in two different sentence fragments
why do you think she didn’t try to make up a instead of one complete sentence.
pretty poem about flowers or raindrops?
Incorrect: The boy next to me. Was snoring.
Correct: The boy next to me was snoring.
Vocabulary Check Sometimes only one sentence ends too soon, which
11. Match each word with its synonym, or word that also creates a fragment.
means almost the same thing.
whine grumbled damp Incorrect: Mr. Reed taught English. Last year.
Correct: Mr. Reed taught English last year.
a. muttered
b. moist Grammar Practice
c. whimper 13. In the following paragraph, there are three
12. For each of these words, write a sentence that sentence fragments. On a separate sheet of
includes a definition or restatement. paper, fix the fragments in the way that seems
best to you.
manufacturing shrugged expressing
Haley and Jeff were best friends. They were in
the same grade. In school. When Haley had to
move. Geoff was unhappy. Walked around the
neighborhood sadly.
Writing Application Look back at the journal entry

you wrote. Make sure every sentence has both a
subject and a verb.
www.glencoe.com.

READING WORKSHOP 3
Skills Focus
You will practice using these skills when you Skill Lesson
read the following selections:
• “Same Song,” p. 424
• “Flowers and Freckle Cream,” p. 430
Interpreting
Reading
Learn It!
• Interpreting what you read
What Is It? You say hello to a friend, but she only
Literature says, “Can’t talk!” How do you interpret this? Is she
angry with you or is she just late for her next class?
• Understanding sound devices:
Alliteration You interpret other people’s words and actions all
the time. You decide what certain statements or
Vocabulary behaviors mean. In reading, you often need to inter-
pret what a story or poem or essay means. You can
• Using context clues that do this by using information the writer provides and
involve comparison and your own experience to form an opinion about the
contrast real meaning of a writer’s words. Two people might
• Academic vocabulary: have two different interpretations about the same
interpret selection. That’s okay! It’s possible for more than one
interpretation to be reasonable.
Writing/Grammar
• Identifying complete and
simple subjects and
predicates
• Identifying compound
subjects and
predicates
right reserved.
. Reprinted with permission. All
By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
BALDO © 2004 Partnership. Dist.
Analyzing Cartoons
These boys are busy interpreting
certain statements. Do you think
they’re interpreting correctly?
Reading Interpret text
Academic Vocabulary
interpret (in TUR prit) v. to explain the meaning of; make understandable
420 UNIT 4
BALDO, Baldo Partnership. Dist. By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
READING WORKSHOP 3 • Interpreting
Why Is It Important? Interpreting while you read lets you get a deeper
understanding of what you are reading. It’s especially important when you
read poetry. That’s because many poets don’t come right out and declare
Study Central Visit www.glencoe
their ideas. They often use images, sound, or something else to help get
their ideas across. review interpreting.
How Do I Do It? Ask yourself, what is the author trying to say here?
What larger idea might these events be about? What exact words did the
writer use? What details stir up strong feelings in me and lead me to
form opinions? Here is how one student interpreted “My Father Is a
Simple Man.”
He has taken me on this journey / and it’s been

lifelong. / He’s sure I’ll be healthy / so long as I eat more
oranges, / and tells me the orange / has seeds and so is
perpetual; / and we too will come back / like the
orange trees.
I think the part about the seeds in the orange means

that the fruit will grow into a tree and the tree will
make more oranges. Kind of like the relationship the
father has with his son. Maybe one day the son will grow
wise like the father and tell his kids the same story about
the oranges.
Practice It!
In your Learner’s Notebook, practice interpreting the lines from “My Father
Is a Simple Man.” There are three questions you can ask yourself to help
with interpretation. First answer the question, “What does the selection
say?” Next, ask, “What do I know about myself and the world as it relates
to this topic?” Finally, ask yourself, “What is the author really saying; is
there a larger idea?”
I ask him what he thinks / about death and he says / he will gladly face it
when / it comes but won’t jump / out in front of a car.
Use It!
As you read “Same Song” and “Flowers and Freckle Cream,” remember
to use these three questions to help you interpret. Write the questions
out in your Learner’s Notebook ahead of time, and answer them whenever
you need help interpreting.
Reading Workshop 3 Interpreting 421

Spencer Grant/PhotoEdit; 425 Pam Ingalls/CORBIS
Before You Read Same Song
Meet the Author

Pat Mora grew up in El Paso, Vocabulary Preview
Texas, in a bilingual home. mauve (mahv) adj. a light purple or violet (p. 424) She likes makeup with
She spends most of her time mauve colors in it.
writing and traveling to peers (peerz) v. looks closely at something (p. 424) Her daughter peers at
schools and other events to her face in the mirror.
teach young writers. See
page R4 of the Author Files biceps (BY seps) n. a large muscle that runs down the front of the arm
for more on Pat Mora. from the shoulder to the elbow (p. 425) Her son was doing armcurls
with heavy weights because he wanted large biceps.
triceps (TRY seps) n. a large muscle at the back of the upper arm (p. 425) V
The triceps on his arms were not as big as he wanted them to be.
Pat Mora, go to www.glencoe pectorals (pek TOR ulz) n. muscles connecting the chest walls to the bones
.com. of the upper arm and shoulder (p. 425) He was trying to strengthen his
pectorals, but the exercises were hard.
Partner Talk On a separate note card, write each vocabulary word one
time. Turn the note card over and write the definition and part of speech
on the back. Take turns testing each other by flashing the cards.

Context Clues Sometimes a word’s meaning is revealed by context clues
that make a comparison to something familiar.
Eating Aunt Lucy’s cooking is as perilous as riding a bike blindfolded.
Like and as are often used to make comparisons, so they’re useful signals.
Since you know that riding a bike blindfolded would be dangerous, you
can figure out that perilous probably means something like “dangerous.”
Sometimes a word’s meaning is revealed by context clues that contrast it

with a familiar word or phrase.
Instead of being late for class, try to be more punctual.
Contrast clues are often signaled by words such as although, but, however,
in contrast to, or instead of. The sentence tells you that being punctual
means the opposite of being late.
Reading Interpret text • Make
connections from text to self On Your Own Use context clues to define each word in dark type. Then
Literature Identify sound devices: tell if the context clues provided a comparison or a contrast.
alliteration
Vocabulary Use context clues: 1. The mat was resilient, like rubber.
comparison, contrast
2. Chaz is warm and friendly, but his brother is aloof.
422-423_U4_RW3-845476.indd 422 3/9/07 10:46:42 AM


Key Reading Skill: Interpreting Connect to the Reading
To interpret “Same Song,” think about what the Are you a hustle-out-the door person in the morning,
speaker says about the son and daughter. Think about taking little time to check your clothes and appear-
what each might be trying to accomplish. Also, think ance? Or do you worry about a bad hair day? As you
about your own definition of beauty. read “Same Song,” think about how the way you see
yourself shapes the way you experience life.
Partner Talk The poet Emily Dickinson wrote,
“Beauty—be not caused—It is.” With a partner, inter- Class Discussion What do you think is more impor-
pret possible meanings of that statement. Keep your tant: who you are on the inside or who you appear to
interpretation in mind when you read “Same Song.” be? Talk about why you think we focus so much on
outward appearances. What influences how we want
Key Literary Element: to appear on the outside?
In Reading Workshop 2, you learned about rhyme, Build Background
rhythm, and meter. These are three important “sound The poem you are about to read is one of Pat Mora’s
devices,” or ways to use sound effectively in writing. most popular poems. She often writes poems that
Another sound device is alliteration, which is the celebrate her Mexican American heritage and the joy
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of of accepting the things that make people different.
words. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” • She has often said, “I take pride in being a Hispanic
is a famous example. Usually, though, alliteration is writer.”
used for only a few words. Seeking the man in the • Mora says that a big reason for writing poetry “is to
moon repeats the m sound only once, but the help people feel less lonely.”
alliteration is effective.
• Because she recognizes that Mexican Americans
It is the sound not the letter that creates alliteration. are well aware of the borders in their lives, she
also likes to write about borders as places to
• A circle of sad psychiatrists contains three alliterative bridge differences.
words.
• Gigantic goats gnawed the fence contains no Set Purposes for Reading
alliterative words.
Read “Same Song” to explore
whether appearances make us who we are.
Alliteration is often used in poetry to call attention to
certain words and to add interest to the sound of the Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
poem. It is also used in other writing. to learn from the reading to help you answer the Big
Question? Write your purpose on the “Same Song”
Write to Learn In your Learner’s Notebook, write a
page of Foldable 4.
list of five phrases that use alliteration.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook

Keep Moving
selection.
Same Song 423

READING WORKSHOP 3
by Pat Mora
While my sixteen-year-old son sleeps,

my twelve-year-old daughter
Practice the Skills
stumbles into the bathroom at six a.m.
plugs in the curling iron
5 squeezes into faded jeans
curls her hair carefully

strokes Aztec Blue* shadow on her eyelids
smooths Frosted Mauve blusher* on her cheeks
outlines her mouth in Neon Pink*
10 peers into the mirror, mirror on the wall
R1
frowns at her face, her eyes, her skin,
R2
not fair. 1 1 Key Literary Element
Reread the first three lines.
What example of alliteration
L
7 Aztec Blue is just a fancy name for a shade of blue. do you find?
8 Frosted Mauve is a silvery or icy mauve color. Blusher is a kind of makeup that women use to
add color to their cheeks.
9 Neon is a kind of light that results in very bright colors. So, Neon Pink is a bright pink lipstick.
Vocabulary
mauve (mahv) adj. a light purple or violet
peers (peerz) v. looks closely at something
424-425_U4_RW3-845476.indd 424 3/9/07 10:47:08 AM

READING WORKSHOP 3
At night this daughter Practice the Skills

stumbles off to bed at nine
15 eyes half-shut while my son
2 Key Reading Skill
jogs a mile in the cold dark Interpreting Now that you
then lifts weights in the garage have read the entire poem, think
curls and bench presses* about the first stanza. How can
expanding biceps, triceps, pectorals, you use the first stanza to help
20 one-handed push-ups, one hundred sit-ups you interpret the second stanza?
What do you think the poet is
peers into that mirror, mirror and frowns too. 2 3 4 ❍ saying about the son and
daughter? What is the poet
18. Curls and bench presses are two weight-lifting exercises for building muscles. saying about our views of beauty
and strength?
Vocabulary
biceps (BY seps) n. a large muscle that runs down the front of the arm from the
shoulder to the elbow
3 English Language Coach
Context Clues Read this inter-
triceps (TRY seps) n. a large muscle at the back of the upper arm
pretation: “The daughter thinks
pectorals (pek TOR ulz) n. muscles connecting the chest walls to the bones of that make-up enhances her
the upper arm and shoulder appearance, like gift wrap and
ribbons do to a package.” What
might the word enhances mean?
Nancy’s Sink, 2003. Pam Ingalls.
4
What does this poem suggest
about the importance of appear-
ance in making us who we are?
Write your answer on the “Same
Song” page of Foldable 4. Your
response will help you complete
Analyzing the Art Can you visualize the speaker’s

daughter putting on her make-up in front of the mirror?
Can you visualize the speaker’s son peering into the
mirror and frowning? Explain your answers.
Pam Ingalls/CORBIS
After You Read Same Song
Answering the
1. How do you think the son and the daughter feel about appearances?
How do you think their appearance affects who they are and what
they do?
2. Recall What part of the son’s and the daughter’s appearance is most
important to each?
3. Summarize What steps does the daughter take to get ready in
the morning?
Critical Thinking
4. Infer What do the son and daughter have in common?
5. Interpret Why do you think the speaker starts each stanza, or section
of the poem, by explaining who is sleeping, who is awake, what time it
is, and what each person is doing?
T IP Author and Me
6. Analyze Why do you think the author repeats the phrase “mirror,
mirror”? Explain the importance of the mirror.
T IP Author and Me

Imagine you could write a letter to make the son and the daughter in the
poem feel better about themselves. What would you tell them? What ques-
Reading Interpret text • Make connections tions would you ask? Write a letter to either the boy or the girl in this
from text to self poem. Think about these points as you write.
Literature Identify sound devices:
alliteration • What makes the body or face so important to the son and daughter?
Vocabulary Use context clues: comparison, • Does makeup and muscle add to who they really are?
contrast
Writing Respond to literature: personal • What might happen if all the mirrors in their home or school
letter were covered?
Grammar Identify complete and simple
subjects and predicates
Use examples from the poem in your letter. Be specific about what you
have to say.

Pam Ingalls/CORBIS
Skills Review Grammar Link: Subjects

Key Reading Skill: Interpreting and Predicates
7. How do you interpret the title of the poem? Explain Every sentence is made up of two parts: a subject and
your answer. a predicate. The subject is the part that is doing or
8. Look at how all the lines in the poem begin. What being something. The predicate is the part that tells
part of speech is used most often as the first word what the subject is doing or being.
in a line? Why do you think so many lines begin • The complete subject contains all the words in
with this type of word? the subject.
• The complete predicate contains all the words in
Key Literary Element: Sound Devices: the predicate.
Alliteration
9. What example of alliteration can you find in lines Complete Subject Complete Predicate
11 and 12? Most of Kevin’s friends usually wear similar clothes.
My friendly, smart cousin is here.
Vocabulary Check Bees try to protect their hives.
Rewrite each sentence. Write True or False after
each statement. The simple subject is just the verb or verbs in the
predicate. The simple subject is the word or the few-
10. If you do chin-ups, you can build up
est words that can answer a “who or what?” question
your biceps.
about the verb. (When a whole name is used, the
11. Mauve is pale green. whole name is the simple subject.) In the following
12. Your triceps are muscles in your legs. sentences, the simple subject is underlined once. The
13. Peers means “glances quickly.” simple predicate is underlined twice.
14. Body armor that covers your chest will protect A huge, gentle dog with floppy ears jumped on me.
your pectorals. My team’s coach rarely sits down during a game.
15. Academic Vocabulary What does it mean to Everyone in the entire school is here today.
interpret a poem? Explain your answer.
Grammar Practice
English Language Coach Write a definition for the Copy each sentence. Underline the simple subject
underlined word in each sentence below. once and the simple predicate twice.
16. Don’t excite the fans; try to subdue them instead. 19. Good musicians play many songs by memory.
17. He admonished me as if he were a parent talking 20. Some trees in the forest grow taller than others.
to a naughty child.
21. Nasty, rotten fruit of all different colors flew
18. This machine will hoist the supplies as an through the air.
elevator would.
22. The entire baseball team from Madison Middle
School is on that bus.
Writing Application Look back at your writing

Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection assignment. Choose a sentence in which you can find
Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to the simple subject and the simple predicate. Underline
www.glencoe.com. the simple subject once and the simple predicate twice.
Same Song 427

Before You Read Flowers and

Freckle Cream
Meet the Author
Elizabeth Ellis learned to tell Vocabulary Preview
stories from her grandfather inadequate (in AD ih kwit) adj. not good enough (p. 432) My teacher said
while she was growing up in that a one-paragraph book report was inadequate.
the Appalachian Mountains.
She has traveled all over the Write to Learn Use the vocabulary word in a sentence.
country and even to New
Zealand, reading her stories English Language Coach
to over 250,000 children
and adults. Ellis says she Context Clues You know that you can use context clues to figure out
loves making a living this the meaning of an unfamiliar word. The context may define it, restate it,
way because she has so or compare or contrast it to something that you are familiar with.
much fun. Unfamiliar words are sometimes made clear by a familiar example. The
clue words such as, for instance, and for example are often used to point
out examples.
Author Search For more about We must respond quickly to catastrophes such as tornadoes, floods, and
Elizabeth Ellis, go to www large forest fires.
.glencoe.com.
Unfamiliar word
catastrophes
Clue Words Meaning

such as disasters
The words such as introduce examples of catastrophes. From the examples

you can guess that catastrophes means “kinds of disasters.”
On Your Own Use context clues to figure out the meaning of the word in
dark type in the sentence below. Write the meaning of the word and the
context clues that helped you figure out the word’s meaning. Think about
what all the animals have in common.
Objectives (pp. 428–433) Domesticated animals like cows, pigs, and puppies can be found on
Reading Interpret text • Make many farms.
Literature Identify and analyze point
of view
Vocabulary Use context clues:
examples


Key Reading Skill: Interpreting Connect to the Reading
As you read, think about what you already know Most people have moments when they envy someone
combined with what the author is really saying. else for their looks, their brains, or their sense of
Ask yourself these questions: humor. “Flowers and Freckle Cream” makes you think
• What is the selection about? about times when you wanted to be like someone else
and—perhaps—went about it the wrong way.
• What do you already know about this topic?
• What is the author’s larger idea? Write to Learn Think about a time that you
learned from a mistake. What was the mistake? How
Write to Learn In your Learner’s Notebook, answer does learning from a mistake help make you who you
these questions as you read the story. are? Write about that mistake and how you learned
from it.
Literary Element: Point of View
You have already learned about first-person and third- Build Background
person point of view. You also know that a story is This story is about wishing you were like someone
written from a first-person point of view if the narrator else. It’s also about being able to tell about it, learn
is a character in the story. In such a story, the narrator from it, and laugh about it later.
refers to himself or herself as I. • Elizabeth Ellis is an award-winning storyteller. She
travels to storytelling festivals across the country, so
Stories with first-person narration can be quite dif- when she writes a story she makes it sound as if she
ferent from each other. Think about “Eleven” in the is telling it.
last unit. The narrator seemed to be eleven years old,
• The author says she learned to tell stories from her
didn’t she? The author didn’t use a narrator who was
grandfather. Notice the important role he plays in
remembering the experience. She used a narrator who
this story.
was in the experience—a child.
• A tiger lily is a beautiful, speckled flower.
Keep these questions in mind as you read “Flowers
and Freckle Cream”: Set Purposes for Reading
* Does the narrator know more than you’d think she’d Read the selection “Flowers and
really know at that moment? Freckle Cream” to learn about how looking back on
* Does the narrator ever comment on her own your misfortunes and learning from them is part of
actions, as if from a distance? what makes you who you are.
Write to Learn Write a short paragraph using first- Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
person point of view. Use a narrator that is not you. to learn from the selection to help you answer the Big
Write as if you are older or younger than you are or Question? Write your own purpose on the “Flowers
as if you are a very different kind of person. and Freckle Cream” page of Foldable 4.

selection.
Flowers and Freckle Cream 429

READING WORKSHOP 3
by Elizabeth Ellis
W hen I was a kid about twelve years old, I was already as

tall as I am now, and I had a lot of freckles. I had reached the
Practice the Skills
age when I had begun to really look at myself in the mirror, 1 Literary Element
and I was underwhelmed.1 Apparently my mother was too, Point of View Can you tell
from this paragraph whether the
because sometimes she’d look at me and shake her head and
narrator is a child or an adult who
say, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”2 1 2 is remembering her childhood?
I had a cousin whose name was Janette Elizabeth, and
Janette Elizabeth looked exactly like her name sounds. She 2 Reviewing Skills
had a waist so small that men could put their hands around it Connecting A part of coming to
. . . and they did. She had waist-length naturally curly blond terms with who you are is being
able to accept who you are. Have
hair too, but to me her unforgivable sin was that she had a you ever been embarrassed
flawless peaches-and-cream complexion. I couldn’t help about something that you had no
comparing myself with her and thinking that my life would control over?
be a lot different if I had beautiful skin too—skin that was all
3 English Language Coach
one color. 3
Context Clues What context
clue tells you what the word
1. Underwhelmed is a joke used to mean the opposite of overwhelmed, so it means “not at complexion means, and how
all impressed.” the author defines a “flawless”
2. The phrase, a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, means that you cannot make something beautiful complexion?
from something ugly.

Steven Biver/The Image Bank/Getty Images
READING WORKSHOP 3
And then, in the back pages of Janette Elizabeth’s True Practice the Skills
Confessions magazine, I found the answer: an advertisement
for freckle-remover cream. I knew that I could afford it if I
saved my money, and I did. The ad assured me that the
product would arrive in a “plain brown wrapper.”3 Plain
brown freckle color. For three weeks I went to the mailbox
every day precisely at the time the mail was delivered.
I knew that if someone else in my family got the mail, I
would never hear the end of it. There was no way that they
would let me open the box in private. Finally, after three
weeks of scheduling my entire day around the mail truck’s
arrival, my package came. 4 4 Key Reading Skill
I went to my room with it, sat on the edge of my bed, and Interpreting Think about the
opened it. I was sure that I was looking at a miracle. But I had name of the magazine. Why
gotten so worked up about the magical package that I do you think she chose that
name? What do you think True
couldn’t bring myself to put the cream on. What if it didn’t
Confessions means as it relates
work? What would I do then? to the story?
I fell asleep that night without even trying the stuff. And
when I got up the next morning and looked at my freckles
in the mirror, I said, “Elizabeth, this is silly. You have to do
it now!” I smeared the cream all over my body. There wasn’t
3. People ask for things to be delivered in a plain brown wrapper when they don’t want anyone
to know what the contents are.
A tobacco farm.

Lowell Georgia/CORBIS
READING WORKSHOP 3
as much of it as I had thought there would be, and I could

see that I was going to need a part-time job to keep me in
freckle remover.
Later that day I took my hoe and went with my brother and
cousins to the head of the holler4 to hoe tobacco, as we did
nearly every day in the summer. Of course, when you stay
out hoeing tobacco all day, you’re not working in the shade.
And there was something important I hadn’t realized about
freckle remover: if you wear it in the sun, it seems to have a
reverse effect. Instead of developing a peaches-and-cream
complexion, you just get more and darker freckles.
B y the end of the day I looked as though I had leopard

blood in my veins, although I didn’t realize it yet. When I
came back to the house, my family, knowing nothing about
the freckle-remover cream, began to say things like, “I’ve
never seen you with that many freckles before.” When I
saw myself in the mirror, I dissolved into tears and hid in
the bathroom. 5 5 Reviewing Skills
My mother called me to the dinner table, but I ignored her. Connecting Have you ever
When she came to the bathroom door and demanded that I been this disappointed? Can you
come out and eat, I burst out the door and ran by her, crying. remember how you felt?
I ran out to the well house5 and threw myself down, and I
was still sobbing when my grandfather came out to see what
was wrong with me. I told him about how I’d sent for the
freckle remover, and he didn’t laugh—though he did suggest
that one might get equally good results from burying a dead
black cat when the moon was full.6
It was clear that Grandpa didn’t understand, so I tried to
explain why I didn’t want to have freckles and why I felt so
inadequate when I compared my appearance with Janette
Elizabeth’s. He looked at me in stunned surprise, shook his
4. The head of the holler is a phrase in Appalachian dialect. It is the opening of a small valley.
5. A well house is a shed that covers the deep hole that people used to get their fresh drinking
water from.
6. Burying a dead black cat when the moon was full refers to a superstitious practice. The
grandfather suggests that using freckle cream has about as much chance of working as a
superstitious practice.
Vocabulary
inadequate (in AD ih kwit) adj. not good enough

READING WORKSHOP 3
head, and said, “But child, there are all kinds of flowers, and Practice the Skills
they are all beautiful.” I said, “I’ve never seen a flower with
freckles!” and ran back to my room, slamming the door.
When my mother came and knocked, I told her to go away.
She started to say the kinds of things that parents say at times
like that, but my grandfather said, “Nancy, leave the child
alone.” She was a grown-up, but he was her father. So she left 6 Key Reading Skill
me alone. Interpreting Consider the
I don’t know where Grandpa found it. It isn’t at all common flower her grandfather put on
in the mountains where we lived then. But I know he put it in her pillow. What do you think the
my room because my mother told me later. I had cried myself tiger lily means to the story and
to sleep that night, and when I opened my swollen, sticky to the author?
eyes the next morning, the first thing I saw, lying on the 7
pillow next to my head, was a tiger lily. 6 7 ❍ Do you think the grandfather’s
action at the end of the story
makes Elizabeth feel differently
about who she is on the outside
and on the inside? Explain
your answer on the “Flowers
and Freckle Cream” page of
Challenge later.
Analyzing the Photo Why did the tiger lily (like the ones in this photo) in her room make the narrator feel better
about her freckles?

Masterfile
After You Read Flowers and

Freckle Cream
Answering the
1. How important are the author’s freckles to making her who she is?
2. Recall How old was the author when this story took place?
T IP Right There
3. Summarize What qualities did Elizabeth’s cousin have that made
Elizabeth feel bad about herself?
Critical Thinking
4. Infer Where do you think the story takes place?
T IP Author and Me
5. Draw Conclusions What does the narrator’s grandfather know about
her that she does not yet know?
T IP On My Own
6. Infer When the author’s mother says “You can’t make a silk purse out
of a sow’s ear,” what does this say about their relationship? Use other
examples from the story to help you explain.
T IP Author and Me
Talk About Your Reading

Beauty is Skin Deep The author measured her looks against her cousin
Janette Elizabeth. How do you and the people you know measure the way
you look? Sure, the way you look is a big part of what makes you who you
are. But it’s only one part of who you are. Think about your definition
of beauty.
Reading Interpret text • Make connections With a partner, or with the entire class, talk about the things that make
from text to self you think someone or something is beautiful. Do your emotions affect
Literature Analyze point of view
Vocabulary Use context clues: examples
judgments you make about beauty?
Grammar: Identify compound subjects
and predicates

Steven Biver/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Skills Review Grammar Link: Compound

Key Reading Skill: Interpreting Subjects and Predicates
7. Do you think this story has a message? If not, why As you know, every complete sentence has a subject
don’t you think so? If so, what is the message? (who or what) and a predicate (what the subject is or
does). You also know that complete subjects and pred-
Literary Element: Point of View icates consist of more than one word. Now, learn
8. Imagine that the story was a series of diary about compound subjects and predicates.
entries, written as the story was taking place. • A compound subject has two or more simple sub-
Would the narrator’s understanding of the jects that have the same predicate. The subjects are
situations be different? most often joined by and or or.
9. Is the first-person point of view effective for this The girl and her grandfather walked in the woods.
story? Why or why not? • A compound predicate has two or more simple
predicates, or verbs, that have the same subject. The
simple predicates are most often connected by and
Vocabulary Check or or.
10. In your own words, write a definition for She cried and slammed the door.
inadequate and use it in a sentence. • A sentence can have both a compound subject and
11. Academic Vocabulary Write a sentence using a compound predicate.
the word interpret. The boy and his father often cook and talk in
English Language Coach Using the context clues the kitchen.
in each sentence, match the underlined word in the
sentences below with its synonym. Grammar Practice
12. A carpenter needs such implements as a Write whether each sentence has a compound subject
hammer and screwdriver, but an artist needs or a compound predicate or both.
different ones, such as brushes. 15. Daydreams and fantasies are a normal part of
13. Will your vocation be doctor, teacher, firefighter, growing up.
auto mechanic, or something else? 16. Some people make decisions and plan their
14. Bill is so affluent. He has a swimming pool, tennis futures very early.
courts, and a gym in his house. 17. My dog and cat play and nap together.
a. occupation
b. tools Rewrite each sentence; add a word that completes
c. wealthy the sentence and makes a compound subject or com-
pound predicate. Write whether the sentence has a
compound subject or a compound predicate.
18. The girls wash and their hair.
19. Basil and read a book for class.
20. To stay in shape we jog and after school.

www.glencoe.com.

Poetry
Revising, Editing, Presenting
In Writing Workshop Part 1, you wrote about personal traits and interests
ASSIGNMENT Write a that make you who you are. You also learned that poems are usually written
poem in lines and stanzas instead of in paragraphs. In Writing Workshop Part 2,
you will learn more poetic elements such as figurative language, sensory
Purpose: To write a
details, and sound patterns.
poem about what makes
you who you are
Audience: You, your
Revising
teacher, classmates,
family, and friends
Make It Better
Revising is your chance to reread your work and make any changes that you
think would make your writing better.
Revising Rubric
Your revised poem should Many poets use figurative language in their poems to help describe objects,
have feelings, and emotions. Figurative language consists of many different
figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, and personification. These
• word choice that expresses
figures of speech make comparisons between things that seem unrelated.
your thoughts and
emotions
The chart below provides definitions and examples of figures of speech that
you may want to use in your poem.
• figurative language, such
as similes and metaphors
Figure of Speech Definition Example
• sensory details W
• sound patterns Simile Compares two unlike • He rushed at me like
things using the words a freight train.
like or as. • Her hair was as dark
as night.
Metaphor Compares two unlike • His heart was a stone.
things without using • Her mind slammed
the words like or as. shut.
Personification Describes things as • Wind kissed my hair.
Objectives (pp. 436–439) if they had human • The mountains stood
Writing Revise writing for poetic abilities, emotions, or guard over the town.
features, including sound devices,
figurative language, word choice, characteristics.
and sensory imagery • Edit writing
for: spelling, punctuation Figurative language creates images in your reader’s imagination. Reread
Listening, Speaking, and your poem and look for places where you can turn a description into a
Viewing Present poem • Use
appropriate expressions and ges-
figure of speech.
tures • Listen for elements
of poetry

Sound Patterns
Poetry often has a rhythm, or pattern of regular beats. Poetry also may
include rhyme. Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds at the end of
words, such as those in Shel Silverstein’s poem “Whatif.” Notice how the
repetition of the word Whatif creates a steady rhythm in this poem.
from Whatif
Whatif I’m dumb in school? W1 Writing Tip

Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool? Poetic lines become more
Whatif I get beat up? important when they are
Whatif there’s poison in my cup? repeated. Experiment by
Whatif I start to cry? repeating the same word or
Whatif I get sick and die? phrase in several lines of your
poem.
Silverstein’s poem has a regular pattern of rhyme. The first two lines rhyme, My friends want to fight,
then the next two, and so on. A regular pattern is called a “rhyme scheme.” But I keep walking.
A rhyme scheme can help a poem flow and add interest to the sound of it. My family likes to argue,
But I keep walking.
Sensory Details My heart is racing,
But I keep walking
Descriptions that appeal to your five senses—hearing, sight, touch, smell, and How does repeating different
taste—are called sensory details. Writers use sensory details to describe lines change your poem?
sounds, smells, feelings, sights, or tastes so that their readers can easily
imagine them. Read the lines below and write in your Learner’s Notebook
which one of your senses the writer is appealing to.
1. Rotten eggs stunk up the refrigerator.
2. The sweet flavor of watermelon swirled in my mouth.
Writing Tip
3. The wind roared, and tree branches crashed to the ground.
Alliteration is the repetition
Now, try writing your own lines in your Learner’s Notebook that appeal to of a sound at the begin-
each of your five senses. Look over your poem to see if you can add a sen- nings of words. Try writing
sory detail to help describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or feelings. a line of poetry with several
words beginning with the
same letter. Alliteration gives
Editing emphasis to words as their
sounds are repeated. The
Finish It Up driver dreamt of Dublin is an
example of alliteration.
After you have revised your poem, edit your writing for grammar, usage,
mechanics, and spelling. Use the Editing Checklist to help you spot your
mistakes. W2
✓ The poem is written in lines and stanzas.
✓ Words are spelled correctly.
✓ Punctuation tells the reader when to pause.

Presenting
Show It Off
• Read your poem one last time. The figurative language and sensory details should paint a picture in
L
your head.
• On a fresh sheet of paper, draw the images that appear in your poem.
• Include the same details in your drawing that you included in your poem.
• When you finish drawing, write your poem on the back of your drawing.
• With a partner, take turns reading your poems to each other. Hold the paper so that your partner can look at
your drawing as you read.
• Discuss how the words in your poem are different from or similar to what you drew.
Active Writing Model Writer’s Model
My Grandpa
by Ayana Jackson
The writer uses a simile that Just like a hawk

compares her grandpa to a ready to soar,
hawk. Grandpa’s real strong
The writer creates a rhyme though he’s now eighty-four.
with the last two words in lines
2 and 4, soar and eighty-four.
He’s got a life
The writer rhymes two that is full of surprises.
words within the line to
He’s ready and steady,
make it more interesting.
whatever arises!
The writer uses alliteration,
brave, bold and bossy, to
emphasize her grandfather’s
My grandpa is brave,
strong personality. and he’s bossy and bold.
Will I be as daring
when I am that old?
And will I, like he,

go for walks by the lake
to hear the soft chirps
Soft chirps is a sensory that the baby birds make?
detail that describes the
sound of the birds.

Listening, Speaking, and Viewing
• Do I understand what the poet is saying? (If you

Reading Poetry Aloud don’t, discuss it with friends, classmates, or
family. Discussing poetry helps everyone
What Is It? understand it better.)
Think of your favorite songs. How many of them
say something about the Big Question: What 2. Listen for good examples
Makes You Who You Are? Many times, songwrit-
ers write about their own lives—their problems, • Listen to other people read poetry—your teacher
their dreams, who they are, and what makes them or a recording of a poet. What makes their
who they are. Poets share these same ideas in reading good? Do they pause to give you time
their poetry, and just like musicians, poets like to to understand what they read? Do they change
share their work with an audience. the volume or pitch of their voices as they read?
• Organize a poetry reading with students in your

Why Is It Important? class. As your classmates read their poems,
Most poetry has musical qualities, such as rhythm, watch other people in the audience. How does
rhyme, and interesting word choice. Just like the reader keep the audience’s attention? Write
music, these qualities are best expressed when down what you notice in your Learner’s
a poem is performed aloud. Workbook.
How Do I Do It? • Practice reading your own poetry. Ask your

Follow these tips for reading poetry aloud. friends and family to listen to you read and
give you feedback that will help you improve LSV
1. Read with emotion and understanding reading aloud. Write their tips in your
Audiences want to hear readers who understand Learner’s Notebook.
the words and messages of the poems they are
reading. Before you read, ask yourself:
• Are there words I don’t know or can’t pro-

nounce? (If there are, ask someone for help or
check a dictionary.)
Writing Models For models and other
writing activities, go to www.glencoe.com.

READING WORKSHOP 4
Skills Focus
You will practice these skills when you read the Skill Lesson
following selections:
• “The March of the Dead,” p. 444
• “The Gene Scene,” p. 452
Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
• Monitoring comprehension
Literature Learn It!

What Is It? Have you ever read a homework
• Understanding figurative
assignment and then found out the next day that you
language: simile, metaphor,
couldn’t answer any of the teacher’s questions about
and personification
it? Having done your homework doesn’t help much
Vocabulary then, does it? If this has ever happened to you, maybe
you should be monitoring your comprehension.
• Reviewing context clues • To monitor something is to keep track of it or
check it.
Writing/Grammar • Comprehension is another word for
• Identifying direct and “understanding.”
indirect objects
Analyzing Cartoons
Why do you think the
cartoonist calls this “the real-
life reading and comprehension
test”? How should the man
in the cartoon monitor his
comprehension?
ERSAL
Wiley Miller. Dist by UNIV
NON-SEQUITUR © 2001
nted with permission.
Objectives (pp. 440–441) PRESS SYNDICATE. Repri
All rights reserved.
Reading Monitor comprehension
440 UNIT 4
NON SEQUITUR 2001 Wiley Miller. Dist. By UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
READING WORKSHOP 4 • Monitoring Comprehension
Why Is It Important? It’s possible to read too quickly or not pay

enough attention while reading. If that happens, it’s like not having read
at all. No matter what your purpose is for reading, your most important
task is to understand what you have read. Study Central Visit www.glencoe
How Do I Do It? Pause while you are reading and think about what you review monitoring comprehension.
just read. Ask yourself if it makes sense to you. If it doesn’t, use these tips:
• Reread the passage more slowly and carefully.
• Ask yourself questions about ideas, characters, and events.
• Look for context clues for words you don’t understand.
• Read on a little further, which will sometimes clear up a
confusing issue.
• Use reference sources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias to find
information on words or topics you don’t understand.
Here’s how one student monitored her comprehension to understand a
tough passage in “Geraldine Moore the Poet.”
Nothing lovely’s been happening in my life. / I haven’t

seen a flower since Mother’s Day, / And the sun don’t
even shine on my side of the street. / No robins come sing
on my window sill.
What? I think I’ll read that again. Why did Geraldine

say she hasn’t seen a flower since Mother’s Day?
I remember reading something about her mother
earlier. If I go back and reread that part, it might make
more sense.
Practice It!
Practice monitoring your comprehension by reading these lines from “The
March of the Dead.” Write down one question you have about this section.
And then there came a shadow, swift and sudden, dark and drear; / The
bells were silent, not an echo stirred. / The flags were drooping sullenly,
the men forgot to cheer; / We waited, and we never spoke a word
Use It!
Use the tips below to monitor your comprehension as you read
“The March of the Dead” and “The Gene Scene.”
• Read hard parts slowly, write down any words you don’t
understand, and use footnotes or a dictionary.
• Write down a question you have about what you’ve read.
Reading Workshop 4 Monitoring Comprehension 441

Before You Read The March of the Dead
Vocabulary Preview
sullenly (SUL un lee) adv. gloomily and silently (p. 445) The sky grew dark
and the flags drooped sullenly.
ghastly (GAST lee) adj. terrible, horrible (p. 445) The Army of the Dead
appeared frightening and ghastly as they crept out of the darkness.
woe (woh) n. great sadness or suffering (p. 445) The fallen soldiers had
Ro be misery and woe in their eyes.
r t S er vice
writhing (RY thing) adj. twitching, twisting (p. 446) Their writhing lips
Meet the Author showed their pain as the wounded trudged through the streets.
Robert Service was born in mirth (murth) n. joy, happiness (p. 447) The parade of living soldiers was
1874 in England. As a young cause for mirth, but many were saddened by those who had fallen.
man he worked as a logger,
dishwasher, teacher, bank Partner Talk Write each vocabulary word on a separate note card.
clerk, ranch hand, and fruit Write the definition on the back. Take turns testing each other by flashing
picker before turning to writ- the cards.
ing. He explained that, in his
writing, he was after “some- English Language Coach
thing the man in the street You have learned about several kinds of context clues.
would take notice of and the
sweet old lady would paste Definition: When he got a scholarship, Bryant was elated—filled with joy.
in her album.” See page R6 • The writer gives a definition. Elated means “filled with joy.”
of the Author Files for more
on Robert Service. Restatement: He was elated and this intense happiness lasted for hours.
• The writer has restated the idea. Someone who is elated is intensely happy.
Comparison: She was as elated as a fan whose team has just won the
World Series.
Robert Service, go to www • The writer has compared the feeling of being elated to a feeling everyone
.glencoe.com. knows is a very happy one.
Contrast: Unlike his miserable friend, Norm was elated.
• The opposite of elated is “miserable,” so elated must mean “very happy.”

Example: There are many types of precipitation, including rain, sleet, hail,
Reading Monitor comprehension and snow.
• Make connections from text to self • Rain, sleet, hail, and snow are examples of water that fall to earth, so
Literature Identify and interpret figura-
tive language • Identify literary elements: that’s what precipitation must mean.
simile, metaphor, personification
Vocabulary Use context clues: Write to Learn Use ravenous, which means “extremely hungry,” in a
definition, restatement, comparison,
contrast, and examples
sentence using context clues. Use a type of clue mentioned above.

(tl)The Granger Collection, NY; 444 Jim Richardson/CORBIS

Key Reading Skill: Monitoring Connect to the Reading
Comprehension “The more things change, the more they stay the
Use these tips to monitor your comprehension. same.” Have you ever heard this expression? This say-
• Pause in your reading. ing applies to many things—including war. No matter
how wars change, soldiers returning home from war
• Ask yourself what just happened.
always stir up people’s feelings.
• Try to summarize what has happened.
• Read on to see if later information helps. Write to Learn In your Learner’s Notebook, write
your feelings about war. Think about what you already
Key Literary Element: Figurative know about war. Is there ever a good reason for war?
Explain.
Language
Someone who says, “That apple is red,” just means that Build Background
the apple is red. This is literal language. Literal lan-
“The March of the Dead” is a poem about a parade of
guage means exactly what it says. It is language without
British soldiers returning home from the Boer War.
exaggeration. Language that suggests something beyond
the exact meaning of the words is called figurative lan- • From 1899 to 1902, the British fought the Dutch for
guage. Someone who says, “She was so mad, she was control of South Africa. The Dutch were known as
burning up” is speaking figuratively, or using figurative the Boers, and the conflict was called the Boer War.
language. No one was really “burning up.” But it helps • The British suffered many defeats in the Boer War,
to create an image or feeling of just how angry the per- and soldiers were killed on both sides.
son was. Two kinds of figurative language often used to • Robert Service, the author of the poem, saw war
make comparisons are similes and metaphors. firsthand. He served as an ambulance driver during
• A simile uses the words like or as to compare two World War I.
unlike things.
Her diamond sparkled like a star. Set Purposes for Reading
• A metaphor compares two unlike things without Read the selection “The March
using like or as. of the Dead” to learn about how the wars in our time
Her eyes were emeralds. make us who we are.
Personification is figurative language in which an Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
animal, idea, or object is given human qualities. It is to learn from the reading to help you answer the Big
described as if it were human. In “The moon danced Question? Write your purpose on “The March of the
across the midnight sky,” the moon is personified, or Dead” page of Foldable 4.
given a human quality—the ability to dance.
Write to Learn In your Learner’s Notebook, write

three sentences using figurative language.
Keep Moving
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook
To review or learn more about the literary Use these skills as you read the following
elements, go to www.glencoe.com. selection.
The March of the Dead 443

READING WORKSHOP 4
The
March
of the
Jim Richardson/CORBIS
Deadby Robert Service

READING WORKSHOP 4
T he cruel war was over—oh, the triumph was so sweet! 1

We watched the troops returning, through our tears;
Practice the Skills
There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet Figurative Language Find
glittering street. the example of personification
And you scarce could hear the music for the cheers. in the first line. What is being
5 personified? Think about the fact
And you scarce could see the house-tops for the flags that
that cruelty is a human quality.
flew between;
The bells were pealing* madly to the sky;
And everyone was shouting for the Soldiers of the Queen,
And the glory of an age was passing by. 2 2 Key Reading Skill
Monitoring Comprehension
And then there came a shadow, swift and sudden, dark Each section of a poem is
and drear; known as a stanza; this poem
10 The bells were silent, not an echo stirred. has six stanzas. Monitor your
comprehension after each
The flags were drooping sullenly, the men forgot to cheer;
stanza. If you are unsure about
We waited, and we never spoke a word. any part, go back and reread
The sky grew darker, darker, till from out the gloomy rack the stanza. Look at the foot-
There came a voice that checked the heart with dread: notes. Write any questions
15 “Tear down, tear down your bunting now, and hang up you have in your Learner’s
Notebook.
sable black;*
They are coming—it’s the Army of the Dead.”
They were coming, they were coming, gaunt* and ghastly,

sad and slow;
They were coming, all the crimson* wrecks of pride;
With faces seared,* and cheeks red smeared, and haunting
eyes of woe,
6 Here pealing means ringing loudly.

15 Rack is a mass of high clouds broken by the wind. Checked, as it is used here, means
“stopped.” Bunting is another word for flags and colorful banners. Sable black means
dark cloths hung in mourning.
17 Gaunt means extremely thin.
18 Crimson is a dark red color.
19 If something is seared, it is burnt.
Vocabulary
sullenly (SUL un lee) adv. gloomily and silently
ghastly (GAST lee) adj. terrible, horrible
woe (woh) n. great sadness or suffering

READING WORKSHOP 4
20 And clotted holes the khaki couldn’t hide.

Oh, the clammy brow of anguish! the livid, foam-
Practice the Skills
flecked lips!*
The reeling ranks of ruin swept along!
The limb that trailed, the hand that failed, the bloody
finger tips!*
And oh, the dreary rhythm of their song!
25 “They left us on the veldt-side, but we felt we couldn’t stop

On this, our England’s crowning festal day;
We’re the men of Magersfontein, we’re the men of
Spion Kop,
Colenso—we’re the men who had to pay.*
We’re the men who paid the blood-price. Shall the grave be
all our gain?
30 You owe us. Long and heavy is the score. 3 3 English Language Coach
Then cheer us for our glory now, and cheer us for our pain, Context Clues Reread this
And cheer us as ye never cheered before.” entire stanza. What does the
author mean by the expression
The folks were white and stricken, and each tongue seemed blood-price in line 29? What
context clue helped you under-
weighted with lead;
stand the meaning of blood-
Each heart was clutched in hollow hand of ice; 4 price?
35 And every eye was staring at the horror of the dead,
The pity of the men who paid the price. 4 Key Literary Element
They were come, were come to mock us, in the first flush of
Figurative Language What
our peace; makes line 34 an example of
Through writhing lips their teeth were all agleam; figurative language? What does
They were coming in their thousands—oh, would they this description mean?
never cease!
40 I closed my eyes, and then—it was a dream.
21 Anguish means great pain, and livid means pale.

23 Reeling means “staggering” or “thrown off balance.” A limb refers to an arm or leg.
28 Veldt is a Dutch word for an open grazing area or field. Festal means festive or happy.
Magersfontein, Spion Kop, and Colenso are the names of extremely bloody battles in the
Boer War.
Vocabulary
writhing (RY thing) adj. twitching, twisting

READING WORKSHOP 4
Analyzing the Photo What is this a photo of? What line from the poem does it illustrate?
There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet Practice the Skills
gleaming street;
The town was mad; a man was like a boy.
A thousand flags were flaming where the sky and
city meet;
A thousand bells were thundering the joy.
45 There was music, mirth and sunshine; but some eyes shone
with regret;
And while we stun with cheers our homing braves,*
O God, in Thy great mercy, let us nevermore forget
The graves they left behind, the bitter graves. 5 ❍ 5
In what ways does this poem
show how major events like war
make us who we are? Write your
answer on “The March of the
Dead” page of Foldable 4. Your
response will help you complete
46 Homing braves refers to the brave soldiers who are returning home. the Unit Challenge later.
Vocabulary
mirth (murth) n. joy, happiness

Bill Heinsohn/Photographers Choice/Getty Images
After You Read The March of the Dead
Answering the
1. Are your feelings about war part of what makes you who you are?
Explain.
2. Recall In the first stanza of the poem, why could people scarcely hear
the music or see the house-tops?
T IP Right There
3. Summarize In the second stanza, how does the scene change when
the Army of the Dead begins to arrive?
Critical Thinking
4. Interpret a) Why do you think the poet uses repetition in the line
“There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet glittering
street”? b) Why does he change the phrase to “gleaming street” at the
end of the poem?
T IP On My Own
5. Infer What does the speaker mean when he calls the soldiers “crimson
wrecks of pride”?
T IP Author and Me
6. Analyze Why do you think the dead feel they must march along with
the living?
T IP Author and Me

Reading Monitor comprehension
Literature Identify and interpret figurative Review Write a short review of the poem. (A review contains personal
language reactions as well as facts.) Your review could answer some of the following
Vocabulary Use context clues: definition, questions:
restatement, comparison, contrast, and
examples • Did it make sense?
Writing Respond to literature: poetry • What did it mean to you?
review
Grammar Identify direct objects • Did an image from the poem really stay in your head?
• How would you summarize the poem?
• What is the poet’s message?
• Did you think it was a good poem or not? Why?

Jim Richardson/CORBIS
Skills Review Grammar Link: Direct

Key Reading Skill: Monitoring Objects
Comprehension You have learned that every sentence has a subject
7. Did you understand the poem? Without looking and a predicate. In some sentences, the predicate con-
at the poem again, describe one image you sists of only an action verb.
remember from the poem. The punter kicks.
Usually sentences give more information. The predi-
Key Literary Element: Figurative cate often says who or what received the action of the
Language verb.
8. The speaker says “and each tongue seemed The punter kicks the football.
weighted with lead.” What does this figurative
In the sentence above, football receives the action of
description mean?
the verb kicks. It answers the question kicked what?
In this sentence, the word football is called a “direct
object.”
Vocabulary Check • A direct object receives the action of a verb. It
Write a paragraph using each vocabulary word answers the question whom? or what? after an
correctly. action verb.
9. sullenly • A verb can have more than one direct object.
10. ghastly The team carried gloves and bats into the stadium.
11. woe • Sometimes an action verb does not have a direct
12. writhing object.
13. mirth The team played well.
In the sentence above, well does not answer the ques-
English Language Coach Use context clues to fig- tion whom? or what? after the verb played. It is not a
ure out the meaning of each underlined word. Write a direct object.
synonym or short definition for each.
14. Her eyesight is as keen as a hawk’s. Grammar Practice
15. I move quickly in the morning, but my brother is Rewrite each sentence. Draw two lines under the
sluggish when he wakes up. action verb in each sentence. If the action verb has a
16. I like their abode. That is, I like the place where direct object, circle the direct object.
they live. 17. The Statue of Liberty attracts many visitors.
18. Some people ride bikes.
19. They noticed fossils in the cave walls.
20. They play football and baseball after school.
Writing Application Look back at the letter you

wrote. Find three sentences with action verbs.
Underline the action verbs. If they have direct objects,
circle them.
www.glencoe.com.

Before You Read The Gene Scene
Meet the Writer

Jordan Brown wrote this Vocabulary Preview
article “The Gene Scene” for generation (jen uh RAY shun) n. a group of persons born around the same
TIME magazine. time (p. 452) Some features, like eye color, are passed on by parents to
the next generation—their children.
heredity (huh RED uh tee) n. the passing on of characteristics from an
animal or plant to its offspring (p. 454) Many of his facial features are
due to heredity—he looks just like his father.
chromosomes (KROH muh sohmz) n. parts of a cell in a plant or animal
that carry the genes controlling features such as the color of hair and
eyes (p. 454) Your chromosomes are so small they are invisible to the
human eye.
Write to Learn Write a paragraph using all three vocabulary

words correctly.

Context Clues Getting comfortable with context clues will make reading
so much easier! You will be able to read more quickly and understand
more of what you read. Remember a context clue might be in a sentence
before or after the difficult word. So pay close attention.
Write to Learn Copy the chart below. For each word in dark type, write
the word, its meaning, and the context clues that helped you figure out the
word’s meaning.
1. Janet put the wet clay pot in the kiln, or oven, to harden.
2. The new program has been beneficial for the school; for example,
test scores are up and absences are down.
3. Maria thought the dress was gaudy. The colors were loud and
they clashed.
4. Robins are migratory birds, unlike sparrows, which live in the same
place year-round.
Reading Monitor comprehension Word Meaning Context Clues
• Make connections from text to self
Literature Identify literary elements:
simile, metaphor
Vocabulary Use context clues


Key Reading Skill: Monitoring Connect to the Reading
Can you wiggle your ears or raise one eyebrow? Do
Comprehension
you have curly hair? All of those qualities were either
Active readers monitor their understanding as they
passed on to you or not. Think about the things that
read. They have a few good strategies for monitoring
make you who you are. Chances are some of them
their comprehension.
were passed on to you from your relatives.
• Read the passage again—one sentence at a time.
• Question important ideas, characters, and events. Self-Portrait with Genes Make a list of ten things
• Look for context clues in the surrounding sentences. about yourself, such as eye color, that were probably
passed on to you in your genes.
• Use reference sources and footnotes.
Build Background
Write to Learn Look at the Build Background
The selection you are about to read tells what makes
section on this page. Write down one question you
us who we are—scientifically speaking.
have about the Build Background.
• Some things, like the color of your eyes, are deter-
Key Literary Element: Figurative mined before you are born. Other qualities, like the
Language music you listen to, have a lot to do with the person
you are.
Figurative language is often used for descriptive
• “Nature versus nurture” is shorthand for the
effect. Figures of speech like similes and metaphors
argument about traits you were born with (nature)
are a part of figurative language.
versus personal experiences (nurture) in
• Writers sometimes compare unlike things by using determining the way you look and act.
similes and metaphors.
• Most scientists agree that both nature and nurture
• A simile uses the words like or as to compare two make you who you are.
unlike things.
• A metaphor compares two unlike things without Set Purposes for Reading
using like or as. Read “The Gene Scene” to find
out how genes help to make you who you are.
Write to Learn Think of two metaphors and two
similes and write them in your Learner’s Notebook. Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like
to learn from the reading to help you answer the Big
Question? Write your purpose on the “Gene Scene”
page of Foldable 4.

selection.
The Gene Scene 451

READING WORKSHOP 4
THEWhat makes
you you?
By JORDAN BROWN
GENE SCENE
G
enetics is the study of how special features,
such as eye color, are passed on from one
generation to another. 1 1 Reviewing Skills
To find out more about special features, called Questioning Think about the
traits, find a friend and grab some paper and a pencil. Ask title and the opening paragraph.
each other these questions. Then write your answers on Why do you think the idea of
genetics might be important to
the paper.
the article? Does this paragraph
1. Can you curl your tongue? help you understand what genet-
ics is? What more do you want
You: YES NO to know?
Your Friend: YES NO
2. Can you wiggle your ears?

You: YES NO
Your Friend: YES NO
3. Can you raise just one of your eyebrows?

You: YES NO
Your Friend: YES NO
4. Do you have a “hitchhiker’s thumb”?1

You: YES NO
Your Friend: YES NO
1. A hitchhiker’s thumb is a rare trait in humans where the end joint of the
thumb can be bent at an angle of at least 45 degrees.
Vocabulary
generation (jen uh RAY shun) n. a group of persons born around the same time

Denis Finnin/American Museum of Natural History
READING WORKSHOP 4
Congratulations!
You just did a genetics investigation.
Traits are a person’s special features. Some traits are more
common than others. Many people can curl their tongues. But
eyebrow raisers, ear-wigglers, and people with a hitchhiker’s
thumb are harder to find. 2 2 English Language Coach
Traits, such as the ability to roll your tongue, are passed on Context Clues In this para-
through genes. You get your genes from your parents. Genes graph, what kind of context clue
are inside every living cell. They are made of a chemical does the writer give you to help
you understand the meaning of
called DNA.2 Genes are tiny, but they carry tons of
the word traits?
information. 3
3 Key Reading Skill
Here are some amazing things scientists have discovered Monitoring
so far: Comprehension Stop and
• All living things have DNA. So you have something in check your reading comprehen-
sion so far. Is there anything you
common with zebras, trees, mushrooms, and even need to go back and reread? Any
bacteria. words you don’t understand?
• There are about 30,000 genes in every cell of your body. Write down a question you have
• Unless you are an identical twin, there is no one exactly at this point.
like you. You are genetically unique.
Scientists are discovering many new secrets about life, such

as what role genes play in determining what makes you you,
whether people are healthy or sick, and how you grow. What
they learn will greatly affect our future, from the medicine
we take to the food we eat.
tural History (4)
an Museum of Na
ric
Denis Finnin/Ame
2. DNA is a substance that is found in the genes of cells and that stores a person’s unique patterns
of traits.
The Gene Scene 453

READING WORKSHOP 4
What Makes YOU YOU?

What Makes ME ME?
Genetics is fun!
So much to learn!
Oooh! But I have one concern.
I’ve searched and searched.
Where ARE my genes?
You’ve got to help me!
Spill the beans!
What makes you you?

What makes me me?
A lot is due to heredity.
Your genes control
What makes you you,
From the color of your hair
To the size of your shoe.
Dogs and frogs are made of cells.

Bananas have them, too!
These teeny-tiny building blocks
Even make up YOU!
This thing here’s the nucleus.

It’s small, but even so:
It tells the cell just what to do,
It really runs the show. 4 4 English Language Coach
Context Clues In this part of
Then, there are your chromosomes, the poem, what kind of context
They’re 46 in all! clue does the writer give you to
help you understand the mean-
Half from mom, and half from dad,
ing of the word nucleus?
They’re really, really small.
Vocabulary
heredity (huh RED uh tee) n. the passing on of characteristics from an animal or
plant to its offspring
chromosomes (KROH muh sohmz) n. parts of a cell in a plant or animal that
carry the genes controlling features such as the color of hair and eyes

READING WORKSHOP 4
Your chromosomes are shaped like coils.

They always come in pairs.
They’re made of stuff called DNA,
That’s shaped like spiral stairs. 5 5 Key Literary Element
Figurative Language Reread
Genes are the sections of DNA, the lines “They’re made of stuff
Where many traits are placed. called DNA / That’s shaped like
spiral stairs.” Look at the “closer”
Learning what each gene controls
view of DNA. It really is shaped
Is the puzzle experts face. exactly like spiral stairs, isn’t it?
Does this make the comparison
DNA is made of four bases “literal” or “figurative”?
We call them G, C, A, and T.
These bases are in every plant
And animal you see!
[end poem]
I GET IT NOW!
WHAT MAKES YOU YOU,
WHAT MAKES ME ME,
SHAPES EVERY LIVING THING YOU SEE.
WE’RE ALL RELATED IN A WAY
BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE DNA!
—Updated 2005, FROM TIME FOR KIDS, May 2001
Gregor Mendel, a scientist who

lived in the 1800s, discovered the
rules of genetics. By experimenting
Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
with pea plants, Mendel figured

out how traits are passed from one
generation to the next.
Thousands of different traits
make you who you are. Some
traits, such as eye color, are
determined mostly or entirely by genes. These kind of
6
traits are decided by nature.
How does this article add to
Most traits, however, are due to a combination of
your understanding of what
nature (your genes) and nurture (everything in your makes you who you are? Write
life—where you live, the people you know, everything you your answer on the “Gene
experience). Scientists agree that both nature and nurture Scene” page of Foldable 4. Your
play important roles in making you who you are. 6 response will help you complete
The Gene Scene 455

After You Read The Gene Scene
Answering the
1. In what ways does nature determine who you are?
2. Recall What is the name given to the study of how special features are
passed from one generation to another?
T IP Right There
3. Recall According to this selection, what do you have in common with a
zebra, a tree, a mushroom, and even bacteria?
T IP Right There
Critical Thinking
4. Infer What do you think is the difference, genetically speaking,
between identical twins and fraternal, or nonidentical, twins?
T IP On My Own
5. Evaluate Why do you think the author starts his article by making you
of Natural History (4)
do a genetics investigation?
T IP On My Own
6. Analyze What is the difference between “nature” and “nurture”?
eum
T IP Author and Me
Denis Finnin/American Mus
Talk About Your Reading

With a partner, talk about what makes you who you are. Discuss the things
that are hereditary and the things that aren’t. Talk about:
• the traits that you have likely inherited from your parents (such as eye
Objectives (pp. 456–457) and hair color).
Reading Monitor comprehension • Make
• the traits that you have developed, such as your style, your likes and
Informational Text Identify literary dislikes, or your favorite hobbies or subjects in school.
elements: simile, metaphor • the traits that might be partly inherited but also partly developed, such as
Vocabulary Use context clues
Grammar Identify indirect objects your talents and abilities.

Skills Review Grammar Link: Indirect

Key Reading Skill: Monitoring Objects
Comprehension An indirect object tells to whom or for whom an
7. How did the footnotes and vocabulary definitions action is done.
help you as you monitored your comprehension? Calvin shows his teammates new shots.
The direct object in the sentence above is shots. The

Key Literary Element: Figurative
indirect object is teammates. Teammates answers the
Language question to whom? after the action verb shows.
8. Think about both selections you read—a poem
and an article. In which type of text do you think An indirect object appears only in a sentence that has
you’d be more likely to see similes and meta- a direct object. Two easy clues will help you find indi-
phors? Explain. rect objects.
9. Rewrite the following sentences. If they are similes, • First, the indirect object always comes before a
turn them into metaphors. If they are metaphors, direct object.
turn them into similes. • Second, you can add to or for before the indirect
• His feet were ice cubes. object and change its position. The sentence will still
• Yesterday was like a nightmare. make sense, although it will no longer have an indi-
rect object.
• Her hair was a shining helmet.
The helper gives the players towels.
Reviewing Skills: Questioning The helper gives the towels to the players.
10. List two questions you could have asked yourself In the first sentence, players is the indirect object.
to help you think about what information was Notice that players comes before the direct object
important as you read. (towels). In the second, the position of players in the
sentence is changed to follow the word to.
Vocabulary Check Grammar Practice

Write the vocabulary word that each clue describes. Copy each sentence. Underline each direct object
generation heredity chromosome once. Underline each indirect object twice.
17. The girls gave Martha her present.
11. how traits get passed on to offspring
18. Randy handed the lifeguard a whistle.
12. people who were born around the same time
19. The zookeepers gave the lion his dinner.
13. the part of a cell that carries the genes
English Language Coach Use context clues to fig-
ure out the meaning of each underlined word. Write a
synonym or short definition for each.
14. There was only a scant amount of food left, a
piece of bread and one apple.
15. Hector can disregard the announcement, but
Wally should pay attention to it. Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection
16. That store carries garments, such as jeans, www.glencoe.com.
dresses, shirts, and coats.
The Gene Scene 457

“maggie
and milly and
molly and may”
by e. e. cummings
& “Daydreamers”
What You’ll Learn

• How to compare two pieces of literature
• How to analyze figurative language
What You’ll Read Do you think comparing things is hard? It’s not. Really, it’s
• “maggie and milly and molly easy as pie! As a matter of fact, the sentence you just read
and may,” p. 461 made a comparison. It compared making a comparison to
eating a piece of pie. People use comparisons all the time
• “Daydreamers,” p. 463
to make what they’re saying more powerful and interesting.
For example, you might say, “This test is very difficult.” But
Point of Comparison
that’s pretty dull. Instead, you could say, “This test is a
• Figurative language nightmare.” The test isn’t really a nightmare, but by com-
paring it to a bad dream, your point comes across more
Purpose powerfully.
• To compare figurative How to Compare Literature: Figurative

language in two literary
selections Language
When you say something like “Mason was good at basket-
ball yesterday,” you’re using literal language. Literal lan-
guage means exactly what it says.
When you say, “Mason was a ball of fire on the court,”

though, you’re using figurative language. Figurative lan-
guage isn’t meant to be taken as the simple, exact truth.
Figurative language usually does one of these things:
• compares things that aren’t really alike
• describes something as though it were something else
Objectives (pp. 458–459) • exaggerates something to an impossible degree to
Reading Compare and contrast: create a more powerful image than you could with
figurative language
literal language
458 UNIT 4
Figurative language lets you be creative in describing things. In this work-

shop, you’ll be comparing figurative language in two poems.
Get Ready to Compare

A figure of speech is often a comparison made using figurative language.
Three of the most common types of figures of speech are personification,
similes, and metaphors.
• Personification gives human characteristics to an object, animal, or idea.
My bike hates me.
• Similes use the words like or as to compare two things that aren’t
really alike.
She was quiet as a mouse during the lesson.
• Metaphors compare two unlike things without using the words like or
as. A metaphor can say one thing is something else, or it can describe
something as if it were something else.
Allison was an angel while I was sick.
(Allison is compared to an angel.)
When Ms. Lowe called on her, Felicia’s blood turned to ice water.
(Felicia’s blood is compared to ice water.)
Figurative Language Meaning Effect
The clouds are dark It makes the scene

The clouds looked angry. and scary. It looks like it’s scarier. Something bad is
going to storm. going to happen.
Use Your Comparison

When you read a poem or other work of literature, In this workshop, you’ll read two poems that use
take notes about the figures of speech (figurative figurative language. For each selection, read the poem
language) that you find. A chart like this one can help all the way through first to get an idea of what the
you understand what the author is trying to say: poem’s about. Then go back and make diagrams like
the one above for each example of figurative language
In the left circle, write down the figurative language you find.
that you found. In the center circle, write down what
the author means. Then, in the right circle, write down
the effect the figurative language has on the poem or
the reader. Try to think of the image that it brings to
mind or how it makes you feel.
Comparing Literature Workshop 459

Before You Read maggie and milly

and molly and may
Vocabulary Preview
befriended (bih FREN did) v. made friends with someone; form of the verb
befriend (p. 461) John befriended the boy he met in the park.
stranded (STRAN did) adj. left helpless in a difficult place (p. 461) When
she missed the bus, the stranded girl was worried.
rays (rayz) n. beams of light or energy (p. 461) The sun’s rays warmed
e. e. my back.
cu m m ings
languid (LANG gwid) adj. slow-moving; without energy (p. 461)
Meet the Author The sound of the waves and the heat of the sun made me feel lazy V
and languid.
Edward Estlin Cummings
(e. e. cummings) is famous
for his experiments with
poetry. Cummings rarely Get Ready to Read
obeyed standard rules of
grammar and capitalization Connect to the Reading
in his poems. He didn’t even Are you a worrier, a carefree type, a dreamer, or a deep thinker? Does
capitalize his name when he your personality affect the way you see things and feel about them? In the
signed his work. He felt that poem you are about to read, four girls respond in different ways to a day
breaking accepted rules of at the beach. As you read “maggie and milly and molly and may,” think
grammar and usage helped about how who you are shapes the way you experience life.
him to express his ideas in
a more original way. Build Background
Cummings was born in 1894. There is a sense of joy and fun in many of e. e. cummings’s poems that
He died in 1962. For more makes them very popular. The poem you are about to read is one of his
about e. e. cummings, see most widely read works.
page R2 of the Author Files. • Cummings often wrote poems that celebrate nature and childhood.
• Sometimes, when you hold certain seashells to your ear, you can hear a
noise that sounds like waves.
Author Search For more about • Most common crabs walk sideways.
e. e. cummings, go to www. • Starfish dry out and die if they are left on the beach away from water.
glencoe.com.

Read the selection “maggie and milly and molly and
may” to explore how who we are shapes the way we see the world.
Reading Compare and contrast across
texts: figurative language
Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like to learn from the
poem to help you answer the Big Question? Write your own purpose on
the “maggie and milly and molly and may” page of Foldable 4.

Bettmann/CORBIS
458-460_U4_CL4-845476.indd 460 3/9/07 10:47:38 AM

maggie
and milly and
molly and may
by e. e. cummings
maggie and milly and molly and may Practice the Skills
went down to the beach(to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang 1 L 1 Comparing Literature

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and Figurative Language
Cummings says that the shell
milly befriended a stranded star “sang.” Singing is normally
something that people do, not
whose rays five languid fingers were;
objects. What kind of figurative
language assigns human charac-
and molly was chased by a horrible thing teristics to objects? Why do you
R
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and think cummings said the shell
“sang”?
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

it’s always ourselves we find in the sea 2 ❍ 2
What do you think e. e.
Vocabulary cummings means in the last
two lines? Write your answer
befriended (bih FREN did) v. made friends with someone on the “maggie and milly and
stranded (STRAN did) adj. left helpless in a difficult place molly and may” page of your
rays (rayz) n. beams of light or energy
languid (LANG gwid) adj. slow-moving; without energy Challenge later.
maggie and milly and molly and may 461

Anne Ackermann/Taxi/Getty Images
461-461_U4_CL4-845476.indd 461 3/9/07 10:48:12 AM

Before You Read Daydreamers

Vocabulary Preview
promenade (PROM uh nayd) v. to walk or stroll in a slow, relaxed manner
(p. 464) We watched the tourists promenade down the boardwalk.
Get Ready to Read

Eloi
s e G r e e n fi e l d Connect to the Reading
We’ve all been there. You’re supposed to be concentrating on something,
Meet the Author but instead you find yourself staring out the window, lost in a daydream.
“I believe everyone spends As you read this selection, connect with the daydreamers and their dreams.
time daydreaming,” says
Eloise Greenfield. “With writ- Build Background
ing, sometimes an idea will The poem you will read is about daydreaming.
come, or an opening sen- • Daydreams can be a way of dealing with fears of the unknown.
tence, or an image, and then
• By daydreaming, people sometimes find solutions to problems or get
it may be months or years
ideas about how to do something.
later before it really develops
into a story.” An award- • Some artists and writers are daydreamers who turned their dreams
winning author of books and into art.
poems for young people, • Hopscotch is a children’s game. To play it, children hop into squares
Greenfield grew up in drawn on the ground, while trying to pick up a pebble they have thrown
Washington, D.C. into one of the squares.
• Doubledutch is a fast-paced jump-rope game in which two ropes are
swung at the same time.

Eloise Greenfield, go to www.
glencoe.com. Read the selection “Daydreamers” to find out
how daydreaming is connected to growing up and changing—becoming
a person who will shape his or her own future.
Set Your Own Purpose What else would you like to learn from the story
to help you answer the Big Question? Write your own purpose on the
“Daydreamers” page of Foldable 4.

Reading Compare and contrast across
texts: figurative language

Steven M. Cummings
Daydreamers . . . Practice the Skills

holding their bodies still
for a time
letting the world turn around them 1 1 Comparing Literature
Figurative Language What
5 while their dreams hopscotch, does the poet mean when she
doubledutch, dance, 2 says the daydreamers let the
world “turn around them”?
thoughts rollerskate,
crisscross, 2 Comparing Literature
bump into hopes and wishes. Figurative Language While
the daydreamers stand still,
10 Dreamers their dreams “hopscotch, dou-
thinking up new ways, bledutch, dance.” Is this an
example of metaphor, simile, or
looking toward new days,
personification? What does this
suggest about the daydreams?
planning new tries,
asking new whys.
15 Before long,
hands will start to move again,

eyes turn outward,
bodies shift for action,
but for this moment they are still,
Daydreamers 463
Lilith, 1996. Diane Griffiths. Watercolor and crayon.

Analyzing the Art Which lines from the poem would make a good caption for this painting?
Explain why.
20 they are
the daydreamers,
letting the world dizzy itself
without them. 3 3 Comparing Literature
Figurative Language Can a
Scenes passing through their minds nonliving object become dizzy?
25 make no sound What kind of figurative language
glide from hiding places is the poet using in the line
“letting the world dizzy itself”?
promenade and return
What do you think this means?
silently
Vocabulary
promenade (PROM uh nayd) v. to walk or stroll in a slow, relaxed manner

The Grand Design/SuperStock
the children watch their memories Practice the Skills

30 withspirit-eyes
seeing more than they saw before
feeling more
or maybe less
than they felt the time before
35 reaching with spirit-hands
to touch the dreams

drawn from their yesterdays 4 4 Comparing Literature
They will not be the same Figurative Language What
after this growing time, do you think the author means
40 this dreaming. when she says children use
spirit-eyes and spirit-hands to
In their stillness they have moved
look back on their memories and
forward touch their dreams?
toward womanhood
toward manhood.
45 This dreaming has made them
new. 5 ❍ 5
What do you think the poet is
saying about daydreaming and
the part it plays in becoming
who you are? Write your answer
on the “Daydreamers” page
of Foldable 4. Your response
will help you complete the Unit
Challenge later.
Daydreamers 465
After You Read

maggie
and milly and
molly and may & Daydreamers
Vocabulary Check
Look at the words listed below. Write the vocabulary word that each
clue describes:
maggie and milly and molly and may
befriended languid stranded rays
1. Someone who is lazy might look this way.
2. These are beams of light from a star.
3. When the tide goes out at the beach, some creatures find themselves
in this situation.
4. Milly did this to the little animal when she helped it on the beach.
Daydreamers
Answer true or false to this statement:
5. When people promenade, they walk as fast as they can.
Reading/Critical Thinking
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
maggie and milly and molly and may
6. Recall Which girl has a frightening experience at the beach?
T IP Right There
7. Compare and Contrast How did the girls’ experiences at the
beach differ from one another? What does this tell you about each of
the girls?
T IP Author and Me

(u)Anne Ackermann/Taxi/Getty Images, (l)The Grand Design/SuperStock
8. Compare and Contrast Do the girls’ experiences Step 2: For each example of figurative language
at the beach support the last line of the poem, you found in both poems, look at the note you
“it’s always ourselves we find in the sea”? made in the Effects oval. Pick one example from
T IP Author and Me each poem that you think had a strong effect.
Step 3: With a partner, discuss the examples
Daydreamers that the two of you selected. Do you agree about
the effect that the use of figurative language has
9. Recall What are the children doing while dreams in these examples? Did either of you notice some-
go through their minds? thing that the other missed?
T IP Right There Step 4: Look at the other examples of figura-
tive language you identified. Think about which
10. Interpret Why does the poet say the daydream-
ones you enjoyed the most and which ones you
ers “will not be the same after this growing time,
thought were most descriptive.
this dreaming”?
T IP Author and Me Get It on Paper
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet
11. Evaluate How well does the writer capture the of paper.
thoughts and feelings of children in this poem? 13. In “maggie and milly and molly and may,” which
Why do you think this? example of figurative language did you enjoy the
T IP On My Own most? Explain what the effect of this example was
and why you enjoyed it.
14. In “Daydreamers,” which example of figurative
Writing: Compare the language did you enjoy the most? Explain what
Literature the effect of this example was and why you
enjoyed it.
Use Your Notes 15. Now write a paragraph that compares the two
12. Follow these steps to use your notes to com- examples that you chose. For each example,
pare the author’s use of figurative language in write down the figure of speech you found, what
“maggie and milly and molly and may” and it meant, and how it affected the poem or the
“Daydreamers.” reader. At the end of your paragraph, explain
which example of figurative language you think
Step 1: Look over the Figurative Language dia-
was more effective.
grams you created for both poems. Put a P by
each example of personification, an M by each
metaphor, and an S by each simile. If you found
16. After reading these poems, how do you think
some examples of figurative language that don’t
e. e. cummings would answer the question, “What
seem to fit within those three categories, don’t
makes you who you are?” How do you think
label them.
Greenfield would answer the same question?
Write your answers in your Learner’s Notebook.
Comparing Literature Workshop 467

UNIT 4 WRAP-UP
What Makes You
Who You Are?
Answering
You’ve just read about people’s responses to the Big Question: What makes you who you are? Now
use what you’ve learned to do the Unit Challenge.
The Unit Challenge

Choose Activity A or Activity B and follow the directions for that activity.
A. Play a Game: Who Am I? 2. Put It in the Bags Divide cards into equal
batches. Each team receives a bag with the
Let’s see if the members of your class can figure same amount of cards. Shake the bag up and
out what makes you who you are by playing this begin the game.
game.
3. Take a Guess
1. Get Started Form teams of about five or six • Decide which team goes first.
members. Each team member should get an • One member from that team takes a card
index card. On the card, write the following: from the bag and reads only the first entry
Likes: aloud.
Dislikes: • After the entry is read, your team will be
Hobbies/Interests: given ten seconds to decide which person
Personality: from the class the first entry describes. If
Something special about me: you cannot agree, take a vote. If you get
Each member should jot down some infor- the person’s name right, the team gets five
mation about himself or herself next to each points.
entry on the index card. Use your • If you don’t get the name correct, read the
Foldable notes to give you some ideas. This second entry and guess again. Each entry
is what makes you who you are. Here are after the first one is worth 1 less point.
some examples to get you started. If you
have other entries you wish to use, you may • If all the entries on a card are read and the
use those. team has not correctly identified the per-
son, the team loses two points. The team
with the most points wins.
• Keep playing until all teams get a turn.
Likes: watching scary movies
Dislikes: getting up early on Saturday
morning
Hobbies: collecting comic books
Personality: usually in a good mood
gle Big Question Link to Web resources to
Something special about me: can wig further explore the Big Question at www
my ears .glencoe.com.

UNIT 4 WRAP-UP
B. Self-Portrait Collage
It is your turn to share what you think helps to 2. Put It Together Reread your essay and
make you who you are. Use what you know correct grammar or spelling errors.
about yourself to create a self-portrait collage. • Gather photos or drawings of you, your
family, and friends. You’re going to put
1. Get Started Gather information about your- them on a sheet of heavy paper or poster
self. In your Learner’s Notebook, list all of the board, along with the essay that you wrote
things that you want to include about your- about yourself.
self. Here are some ideas to get you started.
• Decide how you want to arrange things
• List all your hobbies, interests, and before you glue them down.
activities.
• Describe your likes and dislikes. 3. Show It Present your collage to your
• Include information from your Foldable class. Discuss the similarities and differences
notes. that you and your classmates have. Talk
• Use this information to write a short essay about what you and your classmates
about what makes you who you are. can do to understand and appreciate
• Use a chart like the one below. your differences.
ME
My hobbies and interests My likes and dislikes Other information about me
Wrap-Up 469
UNIT 4
Your Turn: Read and Apply Skills
L e w is C a r r o ll
Meet the Author

Lewis Carroll was the pen
name of Charles Lutwidge by Lewis Carroll
Dodgson. Carroll was the
third child of eleven brothers
The sun was shining on the sea,
and sisters. Carroll taught
mathematics and logic. He Shining with all his might:
often used puzzles and He did his very best to make
games in his teaching. Many The billows* smooth and bright—
of his stories and poems 5 And this was odd, because it was
reflect his logical mind, a joy The middle of the night.
in working through puzzling
events. Carroll wrote comic
The moon was shining sulkily,*
fantasies and humorous
verse that was often childlike. Because she thought the sun
His novel Alice’s Adventures Had got no business to be there
10 After the day was done—
in Wonderland was pub-
lished in 1865, followed by “It’s very rude of him,” she said,
Through the Looking-Glass “To come and spoil the fun!”
in 1871. See page R1 of the
Author Files for more about The sea was wet as wet could be,
Lewis Carroll.
The sands were dry as dry.
15 You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:

Author Search For more about No birds were flying overhead—
Lewis Carroll, go to www.glencoe.
com. There were no birds to fly.
4 Billows means big waves.

7 Sulkily means in a gloomy, pouting way.

Bettmann/CORBIS
YOUR TURN: READ AND APPLY SKILLS
The walrus and the carpenter on the shore, from Through the Looking
Glass and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll, 1872.
The Walrus and the Carpenter The eldest Oyster looked at him,
20 Were walking close at hand; But never a word he said:
They wept like anything to see The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
Such quantities of sand: 40 And shook his heavy head—
“If this were only cleared away,” Meaning to say he did not choose
They said, “it would be grand!” To leave the oyster-bed.
25 “If seven maids with seven mops But four young Oysters hurried up,
Swept it for half a year, All eager for the treat:
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said, 45 Their coats were brushed, their faces
“That they could get it clear?” washed,

“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter, Their shoes were clean and neat—
30 And shed a bitter tear. And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn’t any feet.
“O Oysters, come and walk with us!”
The Walrus did beseech.* Four other Oysters followed them,
“A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, 50 And yet another four;
Along the briny* beach: And thick and fast they came at last,
35 We cannot do with more than four, And more, and more, and more—
To give a hand to each.” All hopping through the frothy* waves,
32 Beseech means to beg or ask for in a serious way.

34 Briny water is salty. 53 Frothy water is foamy and bubbly.
Your Turn: Read and Apply Skills 471

Stock Montage/The Newbery Library
The walrus and the carpenter with oysters wearing tiny shoes, from Through
the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll, 1872.
And scrambling to the shore. “A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,

“Is what we chiefly need:
55 TheWalrus and the Carpenter 75 Pepper and vinegar besides
Walked on a mile or so, Are very good indeed—

And then they rested on a rock Now if you’re ready, Oysters dear,
Conveniently low: We can begin to feed.”
And all the little Oysters stood
60 And waited in a row. “But not on us!” the Oysters cried,
80 Turning a little blue.
“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “After such kindness, that would be
“To talk of many things: A dismal thing to do!”
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing–wax— “The night is fine,” the Walrus said.
Of cabbages—and kings— “Do you admire the view?
65 And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.” 85 “Itwas so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!”
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried, The Carpenter said nothing but
“Before we have our chat; “Cut us another slice:
For some of us are out of breath, I wish you were not quite so deaf—
70 And all of us are fat!” 90 I’ve had to ask you twice!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that. “It seems a shame,” the Walrus said,

“To play them such a trick,

After we’ve brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!”
95 The Carpenter said nothing but
“The butter’s spread too thick!”
“I weep for you,” the Walrus said:

“I deeply sympathize.”
With sobs and tears he sorted out
100 Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,

“You’ve had a pleasant run!
105Shall we be trotting home again?”
But answer came there none—

And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one. ❍
The walrus and the carpenter have eaten all the oysters, from Through the
Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll, 1872.
Your Turn: Read and Apply Skills 473

UNIT 4
Reading on Your Own
To read more about the Big Question, choose one of these books from your
school or local library. Work on your reading skills by choosing books that
are challenging to you.
Fiction
Dragon’s Gate Holes

by Laurence Yep by Louis Sachar
Fantastic characters on thrilling adventures—what Funny, crazy, and full of Texas-sized characters, this
more could a reader want? This tale has it all and then strange story will leave you cheering for the under-
some! Read to find out what happens to Otter and dog—whose name is Stanley Yelnats. Read about
Foxfire on “Snow Tiger,” a mountain in the Sierra Stanley’s adventures at Camp Green Lake and about
Nevadas, and about the many struggles they face. the unlikely friends he makes there.
The Winter People The Wanderer

by Joseph Bruchac by Sharon Creech
When fourteen-year-old Saxo’s village is attacked, Thirteen-year-old Sophie enjoys the ride of a lifetime
he must track the raiders and bring his family back when she sets out on a trans-Atlantic boat ride with
home. This book is a story of family, culture, courage, her family. Read this tale of globetrotting adventure to
and survival. find out what Sophie learns, and where she goes,
while crossing the stormy sea.

Eclipse Studios
UNIT 4 READING ON YOUR OWN
Nonfiction
But That’s Another

Story: Favorite Escape to Freedom:
Authors Introduce A Play About Young
Popular Genres Frederick Douglass
edited by Sandy Asher by Ossie Davis
Authors of thirteen short stories discuss writing in such Born a slave, future statesman Douglass endures cru-
genres as science fiction, fantasy, horror, and realistic elty and injustice before escaping to freedom. This
fiction. Learn what makes a story from the author who play brings to life the hardships and triumphs that
wrote it. shaped Frederick Douglass.
The World
According to
The Random House Dog: Poems and
Book of Poetry Teen Voices
for Children by Joyce Sidman
by Jack Prelutsky
This insightful collection of essays and poems explores
This collection of poems is divided into sections the bond between teens and the dogs in their lives.
covering a wide variety of themes—such as seasons, The selections offer a look at how dogs accept us,
nature, animals, children, and the city. Enjoy this col- love us, and help make us who we are.
lection of quick and engaging reads!
Reading on Your Own 475

UNIT 4 SKILLS AND STRATEGIES ASSESSMENT
Test Practice
Part 1: Literary Elements
On a separate sheet of paper, write the numbers 1–5. Next to each number,
write the letter of the right answer for that question.
Use the following poem to answer questions 1 and 2.
Afternoon on a Hill 1. This poem is an example of

by Edna St. Vincent Millay A. free verse.
B. a narrative poem.
I will be the gladdest thing C. a lyric poem with rhyme and rhythm.
Under the sun!
D. a lyric poem with rich figurative language.
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
2. Which one of the following lines of the poem
5 contains alliteration?
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes, A. line 1 C. line 9
Watch the wind bow down the grass, B. line 3 D. line 11
And the grass rise.
Use the following sentences to answer questions 3–5.
And when the lights begin to show
10 Up from the town, 1. Angry thunder rumbled in the sky.
I will mark which must be mine, 2. The wind cut into me like a knife.
And then start down. 3. Steam rose from the still city streets.
4. My fear was a prison, and I could not
break out.
3. Which sentence contains a simile?

A. Sentence 1 C. Sentence 3
B. Sentence 2 D. Sentence 4
4. Which sentence contains a metaphor?

Objectives (pp. 476–477) A. Sentence 1 C. Sentence 3
Literature Identify poetic features • Identify sound
devices: alliteration • Identify literary elements: simile,
metaphor, personification
Reading Understand purpose of monitoring
comprehension • Interpret text • Respond to poetry 5. Which sentence contains personification?
• Visualize
A. Sentence 1 C. Sentence 3

SKILLS AND STRATEGIES ASSESSMENT UNIT 4
Part 2: Reading Skills

On a separate sheet of paper, write the numbers 1–5. Next to numbers 1–3,
write the letter of the right answer for that question. Next to numbers 4 and 5,
write your answers to these questions.
1. If you are having trouble understanding a poem, 2. What is the main reason the speaker wants the
which part or parts are the best ones to reread? listener to stay at home?
A. The first and last lines A. The speaker needs his help with the sheep.
B. The parts you do understand B. The speaker wants him to remain safe
C. The parts you find most difficult and happy.
D. The parts with the strongest rhythm C. The speaker fears that no work will get done if
he leaves.
D. The speaker knows he would do badly at
Read the following poem and use it to answer ques- another way of life.
tions 2–5.
3. All of the definitions shown below are correct

XXXVIII meanings of drill. What would you interpret to be
the meaning this word has in line 3?
by A. E. Housman
A. “A tool with a pointed end”
Oh stay at home, my lad, and plough* B. “A mental exercise used to improve skill”
The land and not the sea, C. “Military marching and practice exercises”
And leave the soldiers at their drill D. “An approved way to accomplish something”
And all about the idle hill
Shepherd your sheep with me.
4. Respond briefly to this poem by telling whether
you like it or not and why you feel as you do.
Oh stay with company and mirth*
And daylight and the air;
Too full already is the grave 5. Describe one thing you visualize as you read
Of fellows that were good and brave this poem.
And died because they were.
1. Plough is the British spelling of plow.

6. Mirth means “laughing gladness.”
Skills and Strategies Assessment 477

UNIT 4 SKILLS AND STRATEGIES ASSESSMENT
Part 3: Vocabulary Skills

On a separate sheet of paper, write the numbers 1–10. Next to each number, write the letter of the right answer
for that question.
Write the letter of the word or phrase that means Use context clues to figure out the meaning of each
about the same as the underlined word. underlined word.
1. a perpetual problem 6. Unlike her voluble friend, Chrissie rarely said a

word to anyone.
A. unusual C. everlasting
B. important D. complicated A. rude C. smart
B. talkative D. attractive
2. to be stranded
7. The damage to the vase was irreparable; it sim-
A. surprised C. wounded ply couldn’t be mended.
B. abandoned D. overly excited
A. invisible C. not fixable
B. accidental D. done on purpose
3. inadequate clothing
A. cheap C. not enough 8. Marcy loathed olives, and I couldn’t stand
B. unattractive D. not suitable them either.
A. hated C. served
4. an expression of woe B. bought D. greedily ate
A. pride C. confusion
B. excitement D. deep sadness 9. One can find spiders in every abode, from
inexpensive apartments to huge mansions.
5. to react sullenly A. home C. jungle
A. quickly C. with surprise B. classroom D. container
B. in a gloomy way D. loudly and angrily
10. Canes, crutches, and wheelchairs can improve
people’s mobility.
A. memory C. general health
Objectives (pp. 478–479) B. understanding D. ability to move
Vocabulary Learn and use new vocabulary • Use
context clues
Writing/Grammar Identify sentence types • Use end
punctuation correctly • Identify sentence fragments
• Identify sentence elements: subject, predicate,
direct object

SKILLS AND STRATEGIES ASSESSMENT UNIT 4
Part 4: Writing Skills

On a separate sheet of paper, write the numbers 1–7. Next to each number, write the letter of the right answer
for that question.
1. Which of the following is an exclamatory sentence? 6. What is the complete subject of the sentence
A. The game was exciting! below?
B. Does anyone know this song? Chickens do not deserve their reputation
for stupidity.
C. “Just go away,” exclaimed Bo.
A. Chickens
D. A patient brother and loyal friend.
B. Chickens do not
C. Chickens do not deserve
2. Which of the following is an imperative sentence? D. Chickens do not deserve their reputation
A. I didn’t mean it!
B. Open the window.
7. Which sentence below contains a direct object?
C. What a crazy idea.
A. You must be crazy!
D. No one came to the door.
B. She pointed to the sign.
C. Read the story more slowly.
3. Which of the following is a sentence fragment? D. My dog smells bad when he’s wet.
A. The glass is full.
B. Was the book good?
C. I broke the window.
D. Running happily in the yard.
4. Which sentence below has incorrect end

punctuation?
A. That’s a surprise!
B. Did you really say that.
C. Nobody knew he could sing.
D. If I asked, would you help me?
5. Which sentence below has a compound predicate?

A. I took an apple and ate it.
B. We saw Harry and his brother.
C. Arabian horses are small but fast.
D. Reba and Luanne are both runners.
Skills and Strategies Assessment 479

Glencoe Literature Reading With Purpose Course 1 Unit 4

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UNIT 4

“ Make the most of

UNIT 4 WARM-UP • Connecting to the Big Question

READING WORKSHOP 1 Skill Lesson: Visualizing

WRITING WORKSHOP PART 1 Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

READING WORKSHOP 2 Skill Lesson: Responding

READING WORKSHOP 3 Skill Lesson: Interpreting

WRITING WORKSHOP PART 2 Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

READING WORKSHOP 4 Skill Lesson: Monitoring Comprehension

COMPARING LITERATURE WORKSHOP

UNIT 4 WRAP-UP • Answering the Big Question

Real Kids and the Big Question

LAN moved to the United States from

372 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

You and the Big Question

You’ll choose one of the following activities:

Keep Track of Your Ideas

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Key Literary Elements

374 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

ACTIVE READING MODEL

1 Key Literary Element

L ast night, while I lay thinking here,

Study Central Visit www.glencoe.com and click on Study

Genre Focus: Poetry 375

Objectives (pp. 376–377)

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Why Is It Important? Visualizing is one of the best ways to understand

I could see the boy lying in bed at night thinking about

Reading Workshop 1 Visualizing 377

Before You Read My Father Is a

Meet the Author

unhurried slowly, or slow

word you don’t know context clue

378 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

Skills Preview Get Ready to Read

My Father Is a Simple Man 379

by Luis Omar Salinas

I walk to town with my father Practice the Skills

6 A pomegranate is a pulpy golden-red fruit with many seeds.

380 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

I’d gladly give my life Practice the Skills

and when the bitter-hard reality

who learned the simple facts

My Father Is a Simple Man 381

After You Read My Father Is a

Write About Your Reading

382 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

Skills Review Grammar Link:

Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection

My Father Is a Simple Man 383

Before You Read The All-American Slurp

384 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

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Small Group Discussion Discuss the good and bad

Interactive Literary Elements Handbook Keep Moving

The All-American Slurp 385

T he first time our family was invited out to dinner in

386 UNIT 4 What Makes You Who You Are?

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The All-American Slurp 387

M eg was the first friend I had made after we came to

4. To nurse food or drink is to eat or drink it very slowly.