October Learning Guide

Language Arts 

      Students should have their October learning guide packet complete for check off tomorrow.  We will be starting on Learning Guide November Tomorrow.  We will have one more review on RL 8.4 figurative language before the final summation.  This learning guide will be checked tomorrow and be dead on Wednesday the 30th. 

KEY: Wednesday Wars – October (RL 8.1-5, L 8.2)

*persecution – hostility toward, ill treated                    *strategy – plan of action

*paranoid – mental condition                                            *dialogue – conversation

*extravagant – lacking restraint in spending                 *ominous – threatening

B.  Make a list of energetic action verbs and three verbs that also use auxiliary verbs with the action verb.  ANSWERS WILL VARY

Energetic Action Verb                                                       Auxiliary Verb(s) + Action Verb

*________________________                                      * __________________________

*________________________                                  * __________________________

*________________________                                  * __________________________

C.  Circle the verbs and underline the adverbs in the following.  Tell whether the adverbs tell how, where, when degree/ extent, how often/ how much.

1. Holling went outside and cleaned the erasers thoroughly.                  Tells ______________

2. He felt embarrassed when he saw the costume designed for Ariel.       Tells _____________

3. Mrs. Baker looked at Holling thoughtfully as he crouched under the disk.        Tells _________

4. Mrs. Bigio treated Mai Thi badly because she was feeling distraught herself.  Tells _________

5. Holling did not notice that the knives and forks fell out of the backpack.   Tells __________

Verbs                                                   Adverbs                                                  Tells

1. went, cleaned                            outside, thoroughly                             where, how/ extent

2. felt, saw                                     embarrassed                                       how

3. looked                                        thoughtfully                                         how

4. treated, was feeling                               badly, distraught                                 how, how

5. did notice, fell                            not                                                                   means “not” or “no”

Punctuation – The comma (,)

ANSWERS WILL VARY

D. Use content from the novel.  Write a sentence to illustrate each of the four uses explained above.

*Separating adjectives: ___________________________________________________________

* Separating verbs: ______________________________________________________________

*items in a list: _________________________________________________________________

*series of phrases or clauses: ______________________________________________________

E. Underline the figurative language and Identify what figurative language is being used.

1. “The classroom clock clicked off the minutes.”  Figurative Language is onomatopoeia

2. “…a sent that lingered like the smell of a dead animal caught underneath the floorboards.”  Figurative Language is a Simile

3. “The day was still a perfect blue October day, as if it had been waiting for me since I’d missed it at lunch recess.”  Figurative Language is: personification

4. “There was a little pause while the whole world sucked in its breath.”  Figurative language is: Personification

5. “The world is not a fair place.” “Life is not fair.”  Figurative language is a cliché

6. “Hiss,” said Caliban… “Screech,” said Sycorax…” figurative language Onomatopoeia

F. Explain what can be inferred from the following.

1. “…And by the way, for the record, I didn’t exactly say “oh” when Sycorax and Caliban jumped out from the cages.  Neither did Mr. Vendleri.  And neither did Mrs. Baker.” Possibly they all used “naughty” words because he didn’t repeat them.

2.  Given the fact that Holling dreams about events in the books he is reading one could infer that Holling likes the books because he is thinking about them and can relate to something in them.

Understanding What You Have Read

G.  Answer each question.

1. Who and Mai Thi, and where must she go on Wednesdays (23).  Mia Thi is a Vietnamese refugee brought to America by the Catholic Relief Agency.  Because the agency is taking care of her, she is required to go to Catechism on Wednesday afternoons even though she is not Catholic.

2. Which team will never win the World Series (25)?  Red Sox

3. How does Doug Swieteck’s brother act (26)?  Provide three details (26).  Acts crazy – pounds erasers against head, sticks chalk in mouth like fangs, went howling, roaring and slobbering down the hall

4. What one word states wha Meryl Lee things about Holling’s theory that Mrs. Baker hates him (27)? Paranoid

5. Why is Mr. Hoodhood upset with his daughter? What does Mr. hoodhood value, and what does his daughter value (35-36)?  The daughter paints a flower on her cheek and says she is a flower child – she believes in peace, understanding, freedom, sharing and helping each other.  The dad does not think highly of flower children.  Mr. Hoodhood values prestige and success.  In some ways they both want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

6.  What evidence is there to infer that Holling, Mrs. Baker and Mr. Vendleri did not like rats (42-44)?  They are all up on the desks.

7.  How did Holling feel when Mrs. Baker told him they were going to read Shakespeare on Wednesday Afternoons (40)?  Provide evidence to show his fears changed (46).  Holling says, “Of all the strategies Mrs. Baker could come up with, this must be the worst.  Teachers bring up Shakespeare only to bore students to death…No human being could stand it.”  After reading Shakespeare Holling says, “It turned out that Mrs. Baker’s strategy didn’t work…The Merchant of Venice was okay.”

8.  According to Holling’s analysis of Shylock, which character in the novel might Shylock parallel – be like (48)?  Provide evidence to support your inference.  Answers will vary…Since Shylock is trapped into being someone he doesn’t want to be, Holling parallels him because he must behave perfectly because his father intends for him to inherit his company.  Mr. Hoodhood paralles him because he feels he must adopt a certain attitude and maintain a certain image to stay successful. Holling’s sister might parallel Shylock because she is unable to express herself the way she wants to and must conform to what her father expects.  Mrs. Hoodhood also, because she too conforms to what she told to do, like hiding smoking from her husband.

Explicit or Inferred?

H.  For each question in Part G, write an “E” if it is an explicit answer.  Write an “I” if it is an inferred answer.  If there is more than one part to the question, be sure and write an “E” or an “I” for each part – in order.

1.  E                             5.  E

2.  E                             6.  E, I

3.  I, E                          7.  E

4.  E                             8.  I

Chart E – WILL VARY

1.      Cause Holling set the small cage containing food door-to-door with the large cage.

Effect – rats will run into the small cage with the food, cages moved apart and became wedged between the two cages

2.      When putting the rats back into their big cage, one of them stated to bite Holling.

Effect – Holling jumps back from the cages.

3.    Cause – the rats escaped

Effect – The rats climbed into the radiators, then up the walls and into the ceiling.

4.      Cause – Mr. Vendleri reported the situation with the rats to Mr. Guareschi.

Effect – Mr. Guareschi says they can’t let anyone know.

Diagram W – WILL VARY

First assignment: clean erasers

Second assignment: go get the cream puffs

Conflict: eraser chalk gets on the cream puffs

Holling’s Reaction: Says he doesn’t want a cream puff.  When Mrs. Baker gives him one he throws it in the Coat room.

Mrs. Baker’s reaction: Offers Holling another cream puff the next day

Reactions of Other Students: They tell Holling he owes them all a cream puff.