Last Summer with Maizon

Unit 1 Class Acts Theme Focus: School experiences can lead to new understandings and insights. Last Summer with Maizon S ince you will complete four lessons related to the theme Class Acts, let s think about what that theme could mean. When you perform a class act, you re doing something excellent. Maybe the characters in these stories accomplish something excellent. At the end of this unit, we ll come back to this and see if it is true. Introduction In school, students learn about fractions and the Civil War, but they also learn about who they are and how they fit in. This unit gives you the opportunity to examine the real-life side of the classroom, where stories do not always have neat beginnings and endings. We will explore how school experiences can lead to new understandings and insights. Look at the art on pages 16 and 17. The picture shows a student running through a landscape filled with details representing different fields of knowledge and interest. Identify some of the details and tell what kind of knowledge each could represent. READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 1

Texas Tech University Symbol Represents Check your answers in the Appendix at the back of this guide. Now look at the art on pages 18 and 19. How is this picture different from the one on pages 16 and 17? How are these two pictures alike? Be sure to notice that the outline of the girl in the second picture is filled with many of the objects that were near the edges in the first picture. What does this image show about absorbing knowledge? How can knowledge and experience make you what you are? Read the quotation by Ben Zoma. Do you agree that there is something to learn from everyone? How does this picutre relate to the quote by Ben Zoma? Lesson Objectives After completing this lesson, you should be able to: analyze the story elements of mood and character; draw a conclusion using a story map; make inferences from evidence in the story; use structural clues to determine the meaning of words; 2 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District understand and use vocabulary words dealing with feelings; develop comprehension and vocabulary through listening. Let me remind you that it is important to start at the beginning of each lesson and read every paragraph carefully. In many paragraphs, I will ask you questions that are important for you to think about. In the appendix, I have given you my thinking on many of these questions. When the question asks you for an opinion or what you think, the answers in the back reflect my thinking, which may or may not be your thinking. These questions may not be graded, but you will be asked in the Lesson Assignment, which is graded, to do very similar thinking. The Introduction and Practice Exercises are where I have the opportunity to help you become an excellent and skillful reader. 1 2 3 4 Make sure you have read the Introduction and Objectives for this lesson, answering the questions given and checking your responses in the Appendix. Complete each step in the Practice Exercise sections, answering the Reflect and Respond questions and checking your responses in the Appendix. Complete the Lesson One Assignment and submit it to Texas Tech University Independent School District according to the directions given in the Policies and Forms Guide. Read 30 minutes a day from a book you select yourself. Keep a record of your reading on a separate sheet of paper and send it to me with the Lesson One Assignment. How to Proceed 5 Example: Date Time Your Initials 4/13 11:00-11:30 JT After you have completed this lesson, you may proceed to Lesson Two. READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 3

Texas Tech University Practice Exercise 1 Vocabulary Look up the following words in a dictionary and write a brief definition for each: 1. choking 2. shivering 3. uneasy 4. desolate 5. distracted 6. frantic 7. pleading 8. somber After looking up these words, would you like to make a guess as to the mood of this story? (Don t say no because I want you to anyway.) Vocabulary Strategies Remember that adding a suffix, or ending, to a word changes the part of speech and, sometimes, the meaning of the word. Look at the word frantically: its base word, frantic, means very fearful, the suffix (-ly or -ally) means in a certain way ; thus, the meaning of the entire word is in a very fearful way. Complete the following chart: Word Base Word Suffix Meaning frantically (p. 27) frantic -ally in a very fearful way pleadingly (p. 28) somberly (p. 35) uneasily (p. 27) nervously (p. 22, 27) 4 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District As you read in the Lesson Objectives, this story will give you the opportunity to analyze the mood and characters of a story. In some stories, the author mainly reveals who a character is. Often, there is very little plot, or action, in the story. The character faces a problem, or conflict, and solves it. You will need to use what the author says and what you know from your own experience to figure out what is going on. Practice Exercise 2 Reflect and Respond Comprehension 1. Read page 22 of Last Summer with Maizon. The way the author tells this story, I feel I know more about Margaret. Maizon seems less upset than Margaret. I wonder if these two really are best friends. What do you think? 2. Continue reading to the end of page 24 of Last Summer with Maizon. The girls are riding in silence. Sometimes when people have strong feelings, they are afraid to speak. Do you suppose this is why the girls are quiet? What strong feeling might each girl be experiencing? 3. Continue reading to the end of page 25 of Last Summer with Maizon. There s a lot going on here. What does the author reveal about Margaret s family? What do you think Margaret means by her comment that Maizon kept her from doing things? Could Margaret s conflict be related to this? READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 5

Texas Tech University 4. Continue reading to the end of page 26 of Last Summer with Maizon. Ms. Peazle seems to be so hard on Margaret. How might Ms. Peazle s view of what s happening be different from Margaret s? 5. Continue reading to the end of page 27 of Last Summer with Maizon. We learn more about Margaret and Maizon here. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Maizon is in a better school because of her grades; Margaret is in a special class for bright students. I wonder how Margaret feels about herself, since she believes that Maizon is smarter than she is. Is Margaret s feeling about herself a problem or a conflict? Is this related to her father s death in any way? What are your thoughts? 6. Continue reading to the end of page 28 of Last Summer with Maizon. Why do you think Margaret wants so badly to stay in Ms. Peazle s class? What do those reasons reveal about her? 7. Continue reading to page 30 of Last Summer with Maizon. Margaret s poem reveals so much. What do you discover about her? 6 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District 8. Continue reading to the end of page 33 of Last Summer with Maizon. Hattie and Ms. Dell seem to know some things about Maizon that Margaret doesn t. I find that strange because usually best friends know a great deal about each other. Using what you know about Margaret and her friendship with Maizon, why do you think others may see things about Maizon that Margaret doesn t? 9. Continue reading to the end of page 34 of Last Summer with Maizon. Margaret seems surprised that Hattie makes up poems. What are some reasons she might or might not like the idea? 10. Continue reading to the end of page 35 of Last Summer with Maizon. How does Margaret feel about Hattie s poem? How do you think it helps her understand how her classmates felt about her poem? 11. Do you feel as if you know Margaret better? We ve seen her struggling with her feelings in school; we ve read her poem; we ve seen how she acts with her friends. Putting together all this information, what do you really know about her? READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 7

Texas Tech University 12. Continue reading to the end of page 36 of Last Summer with Maizon. Do you think Margaret has resolved her conflict? Have her feelings about herself and about Maizon changed? Is Margaret different from the way she was at the beginning of the story? What are your thoughts? 8 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Lesson One Assignment Name Vocabulary Use the eight vocabulary words from Practice Exercise 1 to fill in the blank spaces in the paragraphs below. Context clues will help you choose the word that best fits the sentence. Use each word only once. The teacher asked Janet to read her poem aloud. Janet began to feel slightly (1). She shot a (2) look at her teacher, as if to say, Please, please pick someone else! The girl s (3) mood was more suited for a funeral than a classroom. She was (4), and her paper shook. Janet was more than frightened she was (5). Though the room was filled with people, she seemed (6) and all alone. (7) back her fear, Janet tried to speak, but couldn t. She glanced up and saw that no one was looking at her. Feeling bewildered and (8), she at last realized that everyone was watching a kitten. It leaped from the teacher s desk and landed on Frank s lap. Everyone laughed, and Janet relaxed. The kitten had saved the day! READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 9

Texas Tech University Comprehension In the columns of the story map below, write what Margaret is like at the beginning of the story (give at least three), the events that change her (give at least five), and what she is like at the end (give at least three). Margaret at the Events in the story Margaret at the beginning of the story that change Margaret end of the story use phrases that tell how Margaret feels about herself or the events in her life 9. 12. 17. 10. 13. 18. 11. 14. 19. 15. 16. use phrases that tell how Margaret feels about herself or the events in her life Applied Comprehension Read the following story and answer the questions about that story. The Non-club Club by Mary Seymour The third week of September was Club Week at Zekiel s school, and the air buzzed with club talk. What club have you joined? was the question of the week, while sign-up sheets drifted across desks like tumbleweeds. Whenever Zekiel drank water from the fountain in the hallway, he faced posters telling him to NUMBER YOURSELF AMONG THE MATH CLUB! and HAVE FUN KNIGHTS WITH THE CHESS CLUB! By Wednesday, Zekiel decided he d rather go thirsty than look at the posters again. By Thursday, he was the only person in his class who hadn t joined a club. 10 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District Having trouble deciding which club to join? Mr. Bonano asked on Thursday morning. I d be happy to give you advice. Zekiel shook his head and politely told his teacher, I don t think I ll join any of them. Not join a club? Mr. Bonano echoed, raising his bushy eyebrows. Well, I thought it was a matter of choice, Zekiel said. But joining a club is FUN, Mr. Bonano said. You re suppose to join a club and have FUN. Zekiel didn t quite see the sense in Mr. Bonano s statement. It seemed like supposed to and have fun didn t go together very well, but he decided against arguing. I ll think about it, he answered, which made Mr. Bonano look almost content. The more Zekiel thought about it, however, the less he wanted to join a club. First of all, none of the clubs appealed to him. Why should he join the Computer Club when his family couldn t afford a computer in a million years? Why should he join the Latin Club when nobody in real life spoke Latin? There were dozens of other clubs, but each was too dull, too limited, or too weirdsounding. Like the Young Inventors Club: he pictured a bunch of sixth-grade scientists trying to create Frankenstein, Jr. Second, Zekiel s after-school time was precious. He spent it doing all kinds of things skateboarding, practicing the drums, helping his mother at the newsstand. Why give up his free time to sit in a classroom and play chess? Unfortunately, Mr. Bonano seemed to have a different view. He asked again on Friday morning whether Zekiel had chosen a club. Zekiel started to say No, but then an idea flashed in his head. Maybe he could satisfy Mr. Bonano and have some fun, too. Could I start a new club, if I wanted to? he asked. Now, that s the kind of positive attitude I like to see, Mr. Bonano said enthusiastically. All you have to do is write a description of your club, give it a name, and file it in the principal s office. If you can enlist at least three members for your club by the end of today, it ll be official. Great! Zekiel said, already hatching a description for his club. During lunch, he wrote his proposal on a piece of lined paper: I propose a club that can be about anything its members want, but it must keep changing and must never be BORING. Naming the club took him a little longer, but finally Zekiel came up with one he liked. He added the name to the top of the paper, then hurried to the principal s office. When he handed his club description to the assistant, Ms. Shung, she read it and laughed. I like your club already, she told him. May I become a member? READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 11

Texas Tech University Anybody may become a member at anytime, but you should never feel obligated to remain a member unless it suits you. Zekiel drew a breath at the end of the sentence, a little surprised at his own words. His club seemed to be taking on a life of its own. Then definitely count me in! she said. Only one more member to go, Zekiel thought as he headed back to class. It turned out to be even easier than he imagined. Pilar Santorio, who had decided to join the Knitting Club for lack of anything better, signed on gladly. Zekiel told Mr. Bonano that his club was official. And what is it called? Mr. Bonano asked. The Non-club Club, Zekiel said proudly. I see, Mr. Bonano said, looking as if he didn t see at all. At the Non-club Club s first meeting, Zekiel taught Ms. Shung how to skateboard. Pilar watched her wobbly progress and made up a new dance step on the spot. She waved her arms up and down, bent at the waist, and called it shunging. Dozens of students gathered to watch the three of them laughing. Word quickly spread that all this fun was the result of the Non-club Club. By the next day, ten people had asked Zekiel if they could join his club. Anybody may become a member at anytime, but you should never feel obligated to remain a member unless it suits you, Zekiel told them all. Within a month, the Non-club Club was the most popular club in school. Its meetings were so big that they had to take place in the gym. Nobody knew what would happen from meeting to meeting: insect races, rap sessions, yodeling contests. Zekiel felt glad his idea had taken off, but he was also amazed by its success. Then he got the biggest surprise of all. I ve heard a lot about your club, Mr. Bonano said one day in October. Yeah, I guess it s a hit, Zekiel answered modestly. Is there any chance I could join it? his teacher asked. Zekiel grinned and gave his usual answer. 12 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District Circle the letter of the best answer to each question. You may look back at the story to help find the answers. 20. How does Zekiel feel about most school clubs? A. They are exciting. B. They are a waste of time. C. They are a good way to make friends. D. They should not be offered at all. 21. Why do you think Zekiel did not join a club? A. He likes to decide what he wants to do on his own. B. His mother needed his help at the newsstand. C. He does not like to play chess. D. His family could not afford to buy him a computer. 22. How does Zekiel solve his problem? A. He joins the Young Inventors Club. B. He refuses to join a club. C. He forms his own club. D. He asks Mr. Bonano to form a new club. 23. The story says that Zekiel had to enlist at least three members for his club. What does the word enlist mean? A. to get them to sign up B. to prohibit or not allow C. to describe in detail D. to memorize the names of 24. Which sentence best indicates Mr. Bonano s attitude about clubs? A. I d be happy to give you advice. B. All you have to do is write a description of your club, give it a name, and file it in the principal s office. C. And what is it called? Mr. Bonano asked. D. But joining a club is FUN, Mr. Bonano said. You re supposed to join a club and have FUN. READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 13

Texas Tech University 25. What did Zekiel probably say when Mr. Bonano asked to join the Non-club Club? A. I m sorry, but we don t allow teachers in the club. B. Anybody may become a member at anytime, but you should never feel obligated to remain a member unless it suits you. C. The rules of the club are that it must keep changing and must never be BORING. D. You re welcome to join the club, but only if you re willing to listen to some fresh ideas. 26. The story says, Zekiel s after-school time was precious. What does this sentence suggest about Zekiel? A. He doesn t like school. B. His after-school time costs money. C. He has little free time. D. He values his after-school time highly. 27. Why does the Non-club Club do something different each time it meets? A. It is the biggest club in the school. B. A different person leads the club meeting each time. C. The club is supposed to keep changing and never be boring. D. Zekiel wants it to be the most popular club in the school. 28. Why do you think so many kids joined the Non-club Club? A. They felt the same way Zekiel did, but they would not admit it before. B. Mr. Bonano pressured other kids to join the new club. C. They all wanted to join the club that Mr. Bonano belonged to. D. Zekiel was the most popular kid in the school, so everybody wanted to join his club. 29. Why do you think Zekiel was so surprised when Mr. Bonano wanted to join the Non-club Club? A. Mr. Bonano did not want Zekiel to form his own club in the first place. B. Mr. Bonano seemed like a person who preferred set rules and one way of doing things. C. Mr. Bonano does not think that clubs should be fun. D. Mr. Bonano wanted to get rid of all the clubs in the school. 14 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0

Independent School District Listening Skills Using the Listening Tape that came with your course, listen to the first part of Passage 1 and the questions as I read them out loud. Then circle the letter of the best answer to each question. 30. A. to explain why teachers assign homework B. to inform students about the Homework Hotline C. to describe what a square root is D. to persuade teachers to answer phones for the Homework Hotline 31. A. to find out his or her marks on a test B. to get a homework assignment C. to get help with a tough homework problem D. to report cheating or misbehavior at school 32. A. a fellow student B. a parent C. a teacher D. an assistant principal 33. A. Don t let homework bother you. B. Learn how to spell homework. C. Find out how to finish your assignment. D. Don t waste your time and effort. Now listen to the second part of Passage 1 and proceed with questions 34-37 in the same way. 34. A. It explains why the Homework Hotline was started. B. It gives one student s comments on how the Homework Hotline works. C. It tries to persuade people not to call the Hotline. D. It tells why you should be careful about calling the Hotline. 35. A. bored and angry B. happy and eager C. curious and interested D. nervous and unsure READ 6A, v.1.0 Lesson One 15

Texas Tech University 36. A. She suggested a way to organize Elaine s report. B. She wrote Elaine s report. C. She told Mr. Brodsky that Elaine felt scared. D. She allowed Elaine to hand in her report late. 37. A. She became a Homework Hotline volunteer. B. She felt afraid to write her report. C. She got an A in social studies for the year. D. She did well on her report. Self-selected Reading Select a book to read for pleasure. Please do not select a book you have already read. Read at least 30 minutes a day from your book and keep a record similar to the example given in #4 of How to Proceed. Send the reading record in with the Lesson Two Assignment. Title of the book you have selected Author ISBN # Type of book (fiction, nonfiction) Number of chapters Number of pages 16 Lesson One READ 6A, v.1.0