Lesson #3 The Story Begins! Sixth Grade ELA / Mr. Kelley / Northeast Middle School

Jaguar Jumpstart Imagine that you are living in Puritan times. Your best friend is caught sitting outside under a full moon with a breeze blowing. He/She is really just enjoying the nice weather after a long day of hard work. But the townspeople accuse your friend of being a witch. They say that your friend was praying to the devil under the full moon. How would you handle the situation? Write about it with five complete sentences. OTHER EXPLANATION

Identity = the values, beliefs, and qualities that make us who we are Yesterday, we:. .. Learned that one of the major themes of THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND is identity. . Identity = the values, beliefs, and qualities that make us who we are One famous poem that discusses Identity is THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by Robert Frost . . .

We learned that our identity can be shaped by the choices we make.

Summarize and discuss Chapter 1 of THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND Today, we will:. .. Summarize and discuss Chapter 1 of THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND Answer a few questions about the plot of Chapter 1 . . .

In Chapter 1… In 1687, Katherine Tyler (Kit), the main character, leaves the home of her late grandfather in Barbados and sails in a brigantine to Connecticut. She is coming to live with her aunt’s family, none of whom she has ever met. They are unaware of her coming. On the ship, she meets Nathaniel Eaton, the first mate and son of the captain. She also meets John Holbrook who is coming to study in Connecticut, and the Cruff family. Young Prudence Cruff drops her doll in the water and Kit impulsively dives in after it. This unnerves the ship’s passengers. Goodwife Cruff says that Kit must be a witch because she did not sink in the water.

Important Summary Notes on Chapter 1… The story takes place starting in April 1687. The characters are traveling from the island of Barbados to Connecticut Colony in America on a ship called the Dolphin. The ship stops in a town called Saybrook to let passengers off and it will continue on to a town called Wethersfield, where the main character, Kit, is going.

TCAP Preparation PRONOUNS A pronoun is a word used to take the place of a noun. Subject pronouns come at the beginning of a sentence. EXAMPLES: I, You, He, She, It Object pronouns come in the second half of the sentence. EXAMPLES: me, you, him, her, it Possessive pronouns show ownership of something. EXAMPLES: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its

TCAP Preparation PRONOUN CASE . Subject pronouns (I, You, He, She, It) are called… NOMINATIVE CASE Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it) are called… OBJECTIVE CASE Possessive pronouns (my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its) are called… POSSESSIVE CASE

TCAP Preparation PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT . An antecedent is the word a pronoun replaces. . If the word is singular (one), the pronoun must be singular. , If the word is plural (more than one) the pronoun must be plural. . If the word is a boy’s name, the pronoun must be “he.” . If the word is a girl’s name, the pronoun must be “she.”

TCAP Preparation PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT

TCAP Preparation SENTENCES: SIMPLE, COMPOUND, & COMPLEX . An independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own as a sentence: it has a subject, a verb, and is a complete thought. A dependent clause is a group of words that also contains a subject and a verb, but is not a complete thought. It cannot stand on its own as a sentence; it is dependent on (needs help from) an independent clause.

TCAP Preparation SENTENCES: SIMPLE, COMPOUND, & COMPLEX .

TCAP Preparation SENTENCES: SIMPLE, COMPOUND, & COMPLEX . A simple sentence consists of only one clause. EXAMPLE: I like trains. A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. EXAMPLE: I don't know how to bake, so I buy my bread already made. A complex sentence has at least one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause. EXAMPLE: I enjoyed the apple pie that you bought for me.

TCAP Preparation SENTENCES: SIMPLE, COMPOUND, & COMPLEX  

TCAP Preparation CAPITALIZATION and SPELLING The first word of every sentence should be capitalized. Proper nouns (names) should be capitalized. It is very important to spell our words correctly. Sounding out the word and using a dictionary can help with this. Never turn in an assignment if you are not sure that all of the words have been spelled correctly.

TCAP Preparation CAPITALIZATION and SPELLING

TCAP Preparation PUNCTUATION • A comma tells the reader to pause. They are also used to separate the items in a series. • A semi-colon links independent clauses when they are not linked by a conjunction. • A colon introduces a list that is written with commas instead of in a row. • End punctuation – period, question mark, and exclamation mark – denotes the end of a sentence. • 

TCAP Preparation PUNCTUATION ● Quotation marks indicate direct speech. In most cases, punctuation marks are enclosed within the quotation marks. • An apostrophe indicates that letters are missing from a contraction, or shows possession (that one thing belongs to another). • Parentheses enclose words that are not directly related to the main thought but provide important information. • A dash signals a sudden change of thought. Dashes can also be used in place of parentheses.

TCAP Preparation PUNCTUATION

TCAP Preparation LET’S PRACTICE!!