1. Collection 2: Characters- Living Many Lives
7th Grade Communication Arts
Literature

2. Introduction to Collection
The stories in this collection will introduce students to a variety of characters living different lives. Each character in this character is faced with a tough decision, and each handles it is a way that suits his or her personality
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze the methods writers use to reveal character
Analyze texts that show comparison and contrast
Analyze how character affect plot

3. Elements of Literature- Characterization
Direct characterization- the writer tells you directly what a character is like
Indirect characterization- writers provide clues or hints about the character that you use to come to your own conclusion
A method of showing rather than telling
Ways to reveal character
Appearance
Action
Speech
Thoughts and feelings
Other characters’ reactions

4. Before you read “Girls” by Gary Paulsen pgs. 131-133 About the author
Written more than 175 books; finds inspiration for his writings from life experiences
Literary Focus- Understanding Characters and Plot
Tips of understanding characters
They may use dialogue to give you insight into a character
They may tell you what a character is thinking
They may describe the way a character acts or reacts to situations
They may tell you how other characters-or-even animals- react to a character
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze how characters affect plot

5. Reading Assignment Read “Girls” pgs. 131-133
As you read, complete worksheet

6. Before you read “Mother and Daughter” by Gary Soto About the Author
Grew up in a Mexican American family in California, much of his awarding winning fiction and poetry draws on his heritage and his childhood memories
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze character traits; make inferences; analyze the characters’ effects on the plot and its resolution; compare and contrast the motives of literary characters from different historical eras
Literary Focus- Character Traits
Character- is anyone who plays a part in a story
A trait is a quality in a person that can’t be seen
Traits are revealed through a person’s appearance, words, actions, and thoughts.

7. Before you read, cont. Reading Skills- Making Inferences
To find a character’s traits, you have to make inferences
Inferences- are educated guesses, based on whatever evidence you have from the story or prior experiences
To collect evidence, look for answers to questions like these…
What do I know about the character’s looks, thoughts, words, and actions?
How do the other characters react to the character?
What does the character learn by the end of the story?

8. Vocabulary Development
Matinees- afternoon performances of a play or a movie
Antics- playful or silly acts
Meager- slight; small amount
Sophisticated- worldly; elegant and refined
Tirade- long, scolding speech

9. Vocabulary Development Practice
If you went to a matinee, would you be worried about coming home after dark?
Who would be more likely to engage in antics: a lion tamer or a clown?
If you were hungry, would you be pleased to a have a meager lunch?
Would you dress up to dine with a sophisticated friend?
Do you enjoy listening to a tirade?

10. Reading Assignment Read “Mother and Daughter” pgs. 138-142
As you read, complete Story Map worksheet
After you read, complete vocabulary development worksheet

11. Before you read “The Smallest Dragonboy” by Anne MaCaffrey
About the Author
Grew up as a lonely tomboy in New Jersey; her books are now known all over the world
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze character motivation; make inferences; analyze the characters’ effects on the plot and its resolution
Literary Focus- Motivation
Motivation- the reasons why people do or say the things they do or behave the way they do
They are the feelings, needs, wishes, pressures from family and friends that motivate or forces us to do the things we do
As you read, ask yourself what forces or motivates Keevan and how does understanding Keevan’s motivation help you understand the kind of character he is
Reading Skills Focus- Making Inferences
Educated guesses based on evidence
As you read, stop at the open book signs to make inferences about a character

12. Vocabulary Development
Goaded- pushed or driven
Imminent- about to happen
Perturbed- disturbed; troubled
Confrontation- face to face meeting between opposing sides
Alleviate- relieve; reduce

13. Reading Assignment Read “The Smallest Dragonboy” pgs. 148-160
As you read, complete worksheet
After you read, complete vocabulary development worksheet

14. Before you read “here Be Dragons” by Flo Ota De Lange Reading Skills
Analyze texts that show comparison and contrast
Reading Skills Focus- Comparison & Contrast
Comparison- looking for similarities
Contrast- looking for differences
Compare & Contrast Methods/Organizational Patterns
Block Method- the writer 1st discusses all the features of subject 1 and then all the features of subject 2
Point-by-Point Method- in this pattern the writer discusses one feature of each subject at a time and then moves onto the next feature

15. Reading Assignment Read “here Be Dragons” pgs. 165-166
As you read, compare and contrast the eastern and western dragons by list similarities and differences on the Venn Diagram Worksheet

16. Before you read “A Rice Sandwich” by Sandra Cisneros About the Author
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze the ways writers use a narrator to reveal character; make inferences; identify the speaker and recognize first- person narration
Literary Focus- The Narrator
Narrator- the person telling the story
Omniscient narrator- means all-knowing; knows all about the characters and the events; can take you back and forth in time
First- person narrator- someone that tells the story using the first person pronoun- I, me, my, or mine
Reading a story told by a 1st person narrator is like entering a character’s mind and heart

17. Before you read, cont. Reading Skills Focus- Making Inferences
Writers don’t come out and tell you everything you want to know- you have to make inferences
To make inferences about the character in this story, use these strategies
Watch what she says and does
Observe the way other characters respond to her
Examine what you learn through her thoughts
Think about how she is like, or not like, people you know in real life

18. Reading Assignment Read “A Rice Sandwich” pgs. 169 and 170
As you read, complete character map
After you read, complete reading check questions (in the box) a-e on page 172 on the back of your character map

19. Before you read “Antaeus” by Borden Deal About the Author
Came from a family of Southern cotton farmers; experienced hardships of farm life during the Great Depression; Deal was just as persistent as the character in the story- TJ
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze character motivation; analyze allusion; make predictions
Literary Focus- Motivation
The feelings, needs, wishes, pressures from family and friends that forces us to do the things we do
As you read the story, think about what motivates them to act the way they do
Reading Skills Focus- Allusion
A reference to someone or something well known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or some other branch of culture
The title of this story is an allusion to a character from Greek Mythology

20. Vocabulary Development
Resolute- firm and purposeful; determined
Domain- territory
Contemplate- to look at or think about carefully
Shrewd- clever
Sterile- barren; lacking interest or vitality

21. Vocabulary Development Practice
Synonyms
1. Decisive
2. Not fruitful
3. Consider carefully
4. Territory
5. Savvy

22. Reading Assignment Read “Antaeus” pgs. 176-183
After you read, complete vocabulary development worksheet and questions 2-4 on page185 on the back of the vocab worksheet
After you read, complete character motivation chart

23. Before you read “A Day’s Wait” and “Stolen Day”
Literary & Reading Skills
Analyze character traits; compare and contrast characters
Literary Focus- Characters and Character Traits
Clues provided in the story will help reveal character traits and help you get to know the character
Reading Skills Focus- Comparing & Contrasting
You will compare and contrast the main characters in “A Day’s Wait” and “Stolen Day”
As you read, you will fill a chart to compare and contrast the characters

24. Reading Assignment
Read “A Day’s Wait” pgs and “Stolen Day” pgs
As you read, fill in the comparing literature chart to compare and contrast the main characters
After you read, write a comparison- contrast essay using the information from your chart to identify the similarities and differences between the 2 characters (Complete on Write to Learn)

25. Before you read
Informational Text- “In a Mix of Cultures, an Olio of Plantings”
This article is linked to “Antaeus”
Reading Focus- The Main Idea
Informational texts, such as newspaper articles, usually focus on one or more main ideas
The main idea is the central, most important point in a text
Sometimes it is stated directly, but most of the time the reader must infer the main idea
Tips for figuring out the main idea:
Look at the title
Look for a sentence that seems to state a key idea
If there is no sentence that states the main idea, then find the most important details in the text

26. Reading Assignment
Read “In a Mix of Cultures, an Olio of Plantings” pg. 188
After you read, answer the questions underneath constructed response on pg. 189