1. Harcourt Journeys: Story Selection
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2. Unit 2: Lesson 9
“Dear Mr. Winston”
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3. Turn your Text Book to page 226.
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6. 1 2 3

7. What are some ways that you can apologize for something other than writing a letter?
Answer
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8. Answer: Send a card Buy a gift Send flowers Give a hug
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9. Why do you think Cara keeps saying her parents blame her or are making her apologize?
Answer
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10. Answer:
She doesn’t want to admit that it was her fault; she’s not really sorry.
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11. How does Cara try to convince Mr
How does Cara try to convince Mr. Winston that she had a good reason for bringing the snake into the library?
Answer
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12. Answer:
She says she was trying to find out what kind of snake it was by comparing the real snake with snake pictures.
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15. 4 5 6

16. Why might there be a rule that reference books cannot be removed from the library, “even for ten minutes”?
Answer
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17. Answer: They have to be available for anyone who needs them.
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18. How does Cara’s tone in the third paragraph differ from the first paragraph?
Answer
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19. Answer:
In the first paragraph, she is still shifting blame to Mr. Winston. In the third paragraph, she is saying something that sounds friendly or helpful.
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20. Why do you think the author chose to mention that the snake is still loose at this point in the letter, instead of at the beginning?
Answer
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21. Answer:
To entertain the readers, to keep things interesting, and to move the plot forward.
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22. 7 8 9

23. What evidence does Cara provide that the snake was not dangerous?
Answer
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24. Answer: The book showed that it was not a type of deadly snake.
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25. Who is Cara trying to persuade and why? Is she convincing?
Answer
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26. Answer:
Her father, because she knows he will read the letter and will decide her punishment.
No, because she doesn’t accept any blame for what happened.
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27. Why does Cara mention that Jake Lambert sold her the snake?
Answer
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28. She hopes to shift some of the blame somewhere else.
Answer:
She hopes to shift some of the blame somewhere else.
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31. 10 11 12

32. Describe the sequence of events from the time Cara brings the box into the library until Mr. Winston faints.
Answer
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33. Answer: Cara brings a box into the library.
Mr. Winston insists on looking in the box.
He picks up the box, opens it, screams, and faints.
Then the snake slithers out.
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34. How is Cara’s tone on this page different from her tone on pp. 228-229?
Answer
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35. Answer:
Earlier she said she was truly sorry, but kept blaming Mr. Winston for what happened. Here she mentions things she knows will upset Mr. Winston.
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36. From what Cara suggests about efforts to find the snake, what is true about snakes most of the time?
Answer
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37. They are difficult to find; they can hide in unusual places.
Answer:
They are difficult to find; they can hide in unusual places.
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38. 13

39. Sometimes authors will repeat words or use repetitions, if they want the reader to pay close attention to those words. Do you believe Cara when she repeatedly says, “ I am genuinely sorry”? Why or why not?
Answer
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40. Answers:
No, her letter seems to be insincere. She is still inquiring about the snake and doesn’t seem to care much about Mr. Winston’s feelings.
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41. Projectable 9.3
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45. Projectable 9.4
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48. Copyright © 2011 Kelly Mott

49. How did you do?
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