8th Grade ELA Distance Learning Packet – April 20-May 15, 2020

Tuesday’s Virtual Class Topic Weekly Informational Text Weekly Literature Assignment Assignment 4/20-4/24 -Recap AMND Acts 1-3 “Why it matters that teens AMND Act 4, Scenes 1 -Answer any questions from are reading less” and 2 LEAP packets -Give instructions for weekly assignments 4/27-5/1 -Discuss last week’s “Was Einstein a Space AMND Act 5, Scene 1 informational text and Alien?” literature assignments 5/4-5/8 -Discuss last week’s “Cutting the Cords: How Poe’s A Dream Within a informational text and Wireless Charging Will Keep Dream literature assignments Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills” 5/11-5/15 -Discuss last week’s “Someone Might Be Bradbury’s All Summer informational text and Watching — An Introduction in a Day literature assignments to Dystopian Fiction” -Preview this week’s assignments

Weekly Informational Text Assignments

1. Read the article and consider what the purpose of this article is. Be prepared to discuss what the central idea is and how the author supports that central idea. 2. Answer the multiple-choice questions and any constructed response question that has lines. 3. THINK about the discussion questions that follow the multiple choice and constructed response items. A full writing is not necessary. We will discuss these questions in our virtual class each week. You may want to take notes to help you better participate in the discussion.

Weekly Literature Assignments

1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has comprehension checks in the margins to help you monitor your understanding. When you get to one of these questions, pause and consider the answer to the question – doing so will ensure you get the gist of that section and can move on. You may want to jot down notes to answer these questions, as they can help in your after-reading comprehension questions. Remember to refer to the footnotes for any terms you don’t understand! 2. Each week, the constructed response questions should be answered in complete sentences – remember your claim-evidence-reasoning guidelines. The discussion questions will guide our conversation in each week’s virtual class, so you may want to take notes to help you prepare, but they are not meant to be written essay questions.

Tuesday Virtual Classes

These are optional but encouraged if you have the capability to join us! We will discuss the weekly readings and reinforce the skills suggested by the ninth grade ELA teachers.

8th Grade ELA

Informational Text Assignments Name: Class:

Why it matters that teens are reading less By Jean Twenge 2018

When is the last time you read a book for pleasure? According to Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology, digital media is changing teenagers’ reading habits. As you read, take notes on how a lack of reading impacts teenagers.

[1] Most of us spend much more time with digital media than we did a decade ago. But today’s teens have come of age with smartphones in their pockets. Compared to teens a couple of decades ago, the way they interact with traditional media like books and movies is fundamentally different.

My co-authors and I analyzed nationally representative surveys of over one million U.S. teens collected since 1976 and discovered an almost seismic1 shift in how teens are spending their free time. "Five" by Roxanne Milward is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Increasingly, books seem to be gathering dust.

It’s all about the screens

By 2016, the average 12th grader said they spent a staggering six hours a day texting, on social media, and online during their free time. And that’s just three activities; if other digital media activities were included, that estimate would surely rise.

[5] Teens didn’t always spend that much time with digital media. Online time has doubled since 2006 and social media use moved from a periodic activity to a daily one. By 2016, nearly nine out of 10 12th- grade girls said they visited social media sites every day.

Meanwhile, time spent playing video games rose from under an hour a day to an hour and a half on average. One out of 10 8th graders in 2016 spent 40 hours a week or more gaming – the time commitment of a full-time job.

With only so much time in the day, doesn’t something have to give?

Maybe not. Many scholars have insisted that time online does not displace time spent engaging with traditional media. Some people are just more interested in media and entertainment, they point out, so more of one type of media doesn’t necessarily mean less of the other.

1. of enormous proportion or effect 1 However, that doesn’t tell us much about what happens across a whole cohort2 of people when time spent on digital media grows and grows. This is what large surveys conducted over the course of many years can tell us.

Movies and books go by the wayside

[10] While 70% of 8th and 10th graders once went to the movies once a month or more, now only about half do. Going to the movies was equally popular from the late 1970s to the mid-2000s, suggesting that Blockbuster video and VCRs didn’t kill going to the movies.

But after 2007 – when Netflix introduced its video streaming service – moviegoing began to lose its appeal. More and more, watching a movie became a solitary3 experience. This fits a larger pattern: In another analysis, we found that today’s teens go out with their friends considerably less than previous generations did.

But the trends in moviegoing pale in comparison to the largest change we found: An enormous decline in reading. In 1980, 60% of 12th graders said they read a book, newspaper or magazine every day that wasn’t assigned for school.

By 2016, only 16% did – a huge drop, even though the book, newspaper or magazine could be one read on a digital device (the survey question doesn’t specify format).

The number of 12th graders who said they had not read any books for pleasure in the last year nearly tripled, landing at one out of three by 2016. For iGen – the generation born since 1995 who has spent their entire adolescence with smartphones – books, newspapers and magazines have less and less of a presence in their daily lives.

[15] Of course, teens are still reading. But they’re reading short texts and Instagram captions, not longform articles that explore deep themes and require critical thinking and reflection. Perhaps as a result, SAT reading scores in 2016 were the lowest they have ever been since record keeping began in 1972.

It doesn’t bode4 well for their transition to college, either. Imagine going from reading two-sentence captions to trying to read even five pages of an 800-page college textbook at one sitting. Reading and comprehending longer books and chapters takes practice, and teens aren’t getting that practice.

There was a study from the Pew Research Center a few years ago finding that young people actually read more books than older people. But that included books for school and didn’t control for age. When we look at pleasure reading across time, iGen is reading markedly less than previous generations.

The way forward

So should we wrest5 smartphones from iGen’s hands and replace them with paper books?

2. group of people 3. Solitary (adjective): done or existing alone 4. Bode (verb): to indicate a certain outcome 5. Wrest (verb): to forcibly pull from someone’s grasp 2 Probably not: smartphones are teens’ main form of social communication.

[20] However, that doesn’t mean they need to be on them constantly. Data connecting excessive digital media time to mental health issues suggests a limit of two hours a day of free time spent with screens, a restriction that will also allow time for other activities – like going to the movies with friends or reading.

Of the trends we found, the pronounced decline in reading is likely to have the biggest negative impact. Reading books and longer articles is one of the best ways to learn how to think critically, understand complex issues and separate fact from fiction. It’s crucial for being an informed voter, an involved citizen, a successful college student and a productive employee.

If print starts to die, a lot will go with it.

“Why it matters that teens are reading less” by Jean Twenge, San Diego State University, August 20, 2018. Copyright (c) The Conversation 2018, CC-BY-ND.

3 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text? A. The time that teenagers spend with digital media negatively impacts their ability to make sense of longer and more complex written material. B. Teenagers are not developing the social skills they need to succeed in the world, as digital devices encourage them to spend time alone. C. Fast-paced games and constantly updating social media makes it difficult for teenagers to be entertained by paper media, such as books and magazines. D. The time that teenagers spend playing video games or on social media takes away from their commitment to their studies, negatively affecting their grades.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “One out of 10 8th graders in 2016 spent 40 hours a week or more gaming – the time commitment of a full-time job.” (Paragraph 6) B. “In another analysis, we found that today’s teens go out with their friends considerably less than previous generations did.” (Paragraph 11) C. “Of course, teens are still reading. But they’re reading short texts and Instagram captions, not longform articles that explore deep themes and require critical thinking and reflection.” (Paragraph 15) D. “Data connecting excessive digital media time to mental health issues suggests a limit of two hours a day of free time spent with screens...” (Paragraph 20)

3. Which of the following describes the author’s main purpose in the text? A. to offer teenagers fun and engaging alternatives to spending time with digital media B. to emphasize the disadvantages of spending more time online and less time reading C. to show how reading from digital devices is not as beneficial as reading from paper sources D. to speculate how teenagers will be impacted in the future if they continue to rely on digital devices

4. What connection does the author draw between new digital media and movies? A. The author shows how digital media has negatively impacted teenagers’ engagement in other activities, such as going to the movies. B. The author highlights the disadvantages of spending more time streaming movies alone, than going to the theater with friends. C. The author shows how new digital media and movies both discourage teenagers from reading for pleasure. D. The author discusses how new digital media doesn’t require teenagers to engage in complex thought, as movies once did.

4 5. What is the relationship between reading longform texts and the development of certain skills?

5 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the text, the author discusses how teenagers are exposed to fewer longform texts because of digital media. Do you use digital media to read books or news articles? What do you mainly use your digital devices for? Do you think the author’s discussion of teenagers’ reading habits reflects your own personal experiences reading?

2. In the text, the author emphasizes the negative effects of digital media. Do you think there are academic advantages to using digital media in the classroom? Describe a way in which digital media is used in your classroom and how it might benefit your learning.

3. Do you think there are some skills you’ve developed from using social media and spending time online that you couldn’t have developed from reading books? If so, what are they?

6 Name: Class:

Was Einstein a Space Alien? By NASA Science News 2005

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born physicist whose work has had a strong influence on the philosophy of science. He is also often considered the greatest physicist of the 20th century. This informational text discusses Einstein’s contributions to science, specifically his discovery regarding the composition of light. As you read, take notes on how Einstein differed from other scientists of his time.

[1] Modern pop culture paints Einstein as a bushy- haired superthinker. His ideas, we’re told, were improbably far ahead of other scientists. He must have come from some other planet — maybe the same one Newton grew up on.

“Einstein was no space alien,” laughs Harvard University physicist and science historian Peter Galison. “He was a man of his time.” All of his 1905 papers unraveled problems being worked on, with mixed success, by other scientists. “If Einstein hadn’t been born, [those papers] would have been written in some form, eventually, by others,” Galison believes.

What’s remarkable about 1905 is that a single person authored all five papers, plus the original, irreverent way Einstein came to his conclusions.

For example: the photoelectric effect. This was a puzzle in the early 1900s. When light hits a metal, like zinc, electrons1 fly off. This can happen only if light comes in little packets concentrated enough "Einstein 1921 by F Schmutzer" by Ferdinand Schmutzer is in the to knock an electron loose. A spread-out wave public domain. wouldn’t do the photoelectric trick.

[5] The solution seems — light is particulate.2 Indeed, this is the solution Einstein proposed in 1905 and won the Nobel Prize for in 1921. Other physicists like Max Planck (working on a related problem: blackbody3 radiation), more senior and experienced than Einstein, were closing in on the answer, but Einstein got there first. Why?

It’s a question of authority.

1. a small particle of matter that travels around the nucleus of an atom 2. in the form of very small, separate particles 3. an object or system that absorbs all light that hits it 1 “In Einstein’s day, if you tried to say that light was made of particles, you found yourself disagreeing with physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Nobody wanted to do that,” say Galison. Maxwell’s equations were enormously successful, unifying the physics of electricity, magnetism and optics.4 Maxwell had proved beyond any doubt that light was an electromagnetic wave. Maxwell was an Authority Figure.

Einstein didn’t give a fig for authority. He didn’t resist being told what to do, not so much, but he hated being told what was true. Even as a child he was constantly doubting and questioning. “Your mere presence here undermines the class’s respect for me,” spat his 7th grade teacher, Dr. Joseph Degenhart. (Degenhart also predicted that Einstein “would never get anywhere in life.”) This character flaw was to be a key ingredient in Einstein’s discoveries.

“In 1905,” notes Galison, “Einstein had just received his Ph.D. He wasn’t beholden to a thesis advisor or any other authority figure.” His mind was free to roam accordingly.

[10] In retrospect, Maxwell was right. Light is a wave. But Einstein was right, too. Light is a particle. This bizarre duality5 baffles Physics 101 students today just as it baffled Einstein in 1905. How can light be both? Einstein had no idea.

That didn’t slow him down. Disdaining caution, Einstein adopted the intuitive leap as a basic tool. “I believe in intuition and inspiration,” he wrote in 1931. “At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.”

Although Einstein’s five papers were published in a single year, he had been thinking about physics, deeply, since childhood. “Science was dinner-table conversation in the Einstein household,” explains Galison. Albert’s father Hermann and uncle Jakob ran a German company making such things as dynamos,6 arc lamps,7 light bulbs and telephones. This was high-tech at the turn of the century, “like a Silicon Valley company would be today,” notes Galison. “Albert’s interest in science and technology came naturally.”

Einstein’s parents sometimes took Albert to parties. No babysitter was required: Albert sat on the couch, totally absorbed, quietly doing math problems while others danced around him. Pencil and paper were Albert’s GameBoy!

He had impressive powers of concentration. Einstein’s sister, Maja, recalled “even when there was a lot of noise, he could lie down on the sofa, pick up a pen and paper, precariously8 balance an inkwell on the backrest and engross himself in a problem so much that the background noise stimulated rather than disturbed him.”

[15] Einstein was clearly intelligent, but not outlandishly9 more so than his peers. “I have no special talents,” he claimed, “I am only passionately curious.” And again: “The contrast between the popular assessment of my powers… and the reality is simply grotesque.”10 Einstein credited his discoveries to imagination and pesky questioning more so than orthodox11 intelligence.

4. the scientific study of sight and the behavior of light 5. the quality or state of having two parts 6. a machine that produces electricity 7. a lamp that produces light through an electric arc 8. Precarious (adjective): dangerously likely to fall 9. Outlandish (adjective): strikingly out of the ordinary 10. Grotesque (adjective): extremely different from what is expected 2 Later in life, it should be remembered, he struggled mightily to produce a unified field theory, combining gravity with other forces of nature. He failed. Einstein’s brainpower was not limitless.

Neither was Einstein’s brain. It was removed without permission by Dr. Thomas Harvey in 1955 when Einstein’s mother Pauline had famously worried that baby Einstein’s head was lopsided. (Einstein’s grandmother had a different concern: “Much too fat!”) But Einstein’s brain looked much like any other, gray, crinkly, and, if anything, a trifle smaller than average.

Detailed studies of Einstein’s brain are few and recent. In 1985, for instance, Prof. Marian Diamond of UC Berkeley reported an above-average number of glial cells (which nourish neurons)12 in areas of the left hemisphere thought to control math skills. In 1999, neuroscientist Sandra Witelson reported that Einstein’s inferior parietal lobe, and area related to mathematical reasoning, was 15% wider than normal. Furthermore, she found, the Sylvian fissure, a groove that normally extends from the brain to the back, did not go all the way in Einstein’s case. Might this have allowed greater connectivity among different parts of Einstein’s brain?

No one knows.

[20] Not knowing. It makes some researchers feel uncomfortable. It exhilarated Einstein: “The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious,” he said. “It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”

“Was Einstein a Space Alien?” by NASA Science News (2005) is in the public domain.

11. ordinary; normal 12. a nerve cell 3 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Why does the author quote Peter Galison in paragraph 2 of “Was Einstein a [RI.5] Space Alien?” A. to demonstrate that Einstein’s luck was to be born at the right time B. to explain that Einstein displayed the prejudices of his era C. to suggest Einstein’s unwillingness to share his ideas D. to argue that Einstein was in some ways an average person

2. PART B: Which paragraph provides additional evidence to the answer to Part A? [RI.1] A. Paragraph 5 B. Paragraph 10 C. Paragraph 12 D. Paragraph 15

3. PART A: What major claim about Einstein does the author of “Was Einstein a Space [RI.2] Alien?” develop in paragraphs 7-8? A. He was a source of frustration for his teachers. B. He was an independent and original thinker. C. He relished provoking intellectual battles. D. He ended up winning the respect of his adversaries.

4. PART B: Which sentence best supports the answer to Part A? [RI.1] A. “‘In Einstein’s day, if you tried to say that light was made of particles, you found yourself disagreeing with physicist James Clerk Maxwell.’” (Paragraph 7) B. “Maxwell was an Authority Figure.” (Paragraph 7) C. “He didn’t resist being told what to do, not so much, but he hated being told what was true.” (Paragraph 8) D. “‘Your mere presence here undermines the class’s respect for me,’ spat his 7th grade teacher, Dr. Joseph Degenhart.” (Paragraph 8)

5. PART A: In paragraph 9 of “Was Einstein a Space Alien?” what is the meaning of the [RI.4] word “beholden?” A. attached through shared interests B. hostile C. bound by obligation D. grateful

6. PART B: Which word or phrase from paragraphs 8-9 of “Was Einstein a Space Alien?” [RI.1] best clarifies the meaning of “beholden?” A. “fig” (Paragraph 8) B. “flaw” (Paragraph 8) C. “authority figure” (Paragraph 9) D. “free to roam” (Paragraph 9)

4 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. When is it appropriate to challenge authority? In what ways did Einstein challenge authority? Cite examples from the text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

2. In the context of the text, why do people succeed? Why was Einstein a successful scientist? What character traits did he possess that contributed to this success? Cite examples from the text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

3. In the context of the text, how do we understand the world? In what ways did Einstein’s understanding of the world differ from other scientists’? How did Einstein’s perspective on the world contribute to his success as a scientist? Cite examples from the text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

5 Name: Class:

Cutting the Cords: How Wireless Charging Will Keep Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills By Brian Clark Howard 2012

It’s common for people to rely on multiple technological devices to get them through their day, and while these devices may be built to last, the chargers that power them are not. In this informational text, Brian Clark Howard discusses how these chargers end up in landfills and what we can be done to change this. As you read, take notes on what companies are doing to encourage the use of wireless charging devices.

[1] Rechargeable batteries were supposed to keep trash out of landfills.1 Instead they replaced old garbage with new. Consumers throw away billions of battery chargers every year; cellphone chargers alone account for almost 100,000 tons of trash annually. And as discarded chargers sit in landfills, they bleed toxins like mercury and lead. That cycle is about to end. Wireless charging will soon be compatible with many of today's mobile devices, providing a universal, more eco-friendly way to power up.

Nikola Tesla first experimented with wireless "Landfill" by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. induction2 nearly a century ago. A typical system consists of a charging base and a receiver. When connected to a power source, a current flows through a metal coil in the base, which causes the coil to pulse and generate an electromagnetic field. When a user puts a device on the base, the field induces a current in a receiver coil, which in turn charges the gadget's battery.

Wireless charging is commonplace in low-power gadgets like electric tooth-brushes, but developers have recently adapted it to meet the power demands of mobile devices such as phones, tablets and e- readers. In 2009 Duracell-Powermat implemented thinner transmitter and receiver coils, which fit better into gadgets and pulse faster so they transmit energy more effectively. Today's wireless chargers transfer 86 percent of the power that wired ones do, so there isn't a significant increase in charge time.

Right now, consumers can retrofit devices to charge wirelessly. Duracell-Powermat and Energizer sell aftermarket cellphone cases and charging pads embedded with induction coils and are working with manufacturers to integrate3 their technology into devices. Energizer anticipates that the first phones with built-in induction coils will ship this year.

1. a place to dispose of waste material by burying it and covering it up with soil 2. the charging of an electrical conductor by momentarily grounding it while a charged object is nearby 3. Integrate (verb): to combine one thing with another so that they become a whole 1 [5] Charging stations are also becoming easier to find. Duracell-Powermat has placed charging stations on tabletops in kiosks throughout Madison Square Garden in New York, and Energizer has similar setups in the Windsor International Airport in Ontario. Eventually both companies will build charging coils into furniture — even car dashboards and consoles.

Mass adoption of wireless charging may also be quick. The Wireless Power Consortium4 has released the Qi standard, which will ensure that all devices will charge on all inductive surfaces. Qi induction coils can be tuned to work in gadgets with different batteries and voltage requirements, so a smartphone, tablet and laptop could theoretically charge on the same base station. Additionally, induction is getting attention from companies that have been slow to adopt the wired microUSB standard. Apple, most notably, has filed patent applications that involve wireless power solutions.

In the future, induction will be able to power more than just gadgets. Developers are working to extend charging range. When that happens, coils embedded in walls will provide power for large freestanding items, such as HDTVs and lamps — and eliminate messes of cords snaked over floors, tangled in drawers and piled up in landfills.

“Cutting the Cords: How Wireless Charging Will Keep Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills” from Popular Science by Brian Clarke Howard. Copyright © 2012 Popular Science. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

4. a multinational technology association 2 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: What is the meaning of “retrofit” as it is used in the first sentence of [RI.4] paragraph 4 of “Cutting the Cords”? A. to make a cover or case to protect an object B. to build charging technology into an electronic device C. to add something to an older object to make it work with a new device D. to make a new technology seem commonplace by mass production

2. PART B: Which phrase from the article helps the reader understand the meaning of [RI.1] “retrofit”? A. “transmit energy more effectively” (Paragraph 3) B. “embedded with induction coils” (Paragraph 4) C. “integrate their technology into devices.” (Paragraph 4) D. “the first phones” (Paragraph 4)

3. PART A: How does the evidence in the article reflect the author’s claims? [RI.8] A. The author claims that wireless charging is environmentally sound and beneficial for consumers. He describes how wireless charging works and how it has evolved. B. The author claims that wireless charging is less expensive. He describes the kind of devices that work with wireless charging and where to purchase one. C. The author claims that Nikola Tesla developed wireless induction, but provides little information about how it works in wireless charging. D. The author claims that wireless charging is like science fiction and only describes the future of wireless charging.

4. PART B: Which detail from the article gives evidence that supports the answer to Part [RI.1] A? A. “Consumers throw away billions of battery chargers every year; cell phone chargers alone account for almost 100,000 tons of trash annually.” (Paragraph 1) B. “Nikola Tesla first experimented with wireless induction nearly a century ago. A typical system consists of a charging base and a receiver.” (Paragraph 2) C. “In 2009 Duracell-Powermat® implemented thinner transmitter and receiver coils, which fit better into gadgets and pulse faster so they transmit energy more effectively.” (Paragraph 3) D. “When that happens, coils embedded in walls will provide power for large freestanding items, such as HDTVs and lamps — and eliminate messes of cords snaked over floors, tangled in drawers and piled up in landfills.” (Paragraph 7)

3 5. PART A: Which TWO sentences belong in a summary of the article? [RI.2] A. Charging stations are placed in public places. B. Chargers deposited in landfills may allow mercury and lead to escape into the environment. C. Developers adapt wireless charging for mobile devices. D. Wireless chargers transfer almost as much power as wired ones do. E. Consumers throw away billions of battery chargers. F. Induction coils can be used to power devices that have different batteries and voltages.

6. PART B: Which additional sentence belongs in a summary of the article? [RI.2] A. Nikola Tesla conducted his experiments almost 100 years ago. B. The first cell phones with their own induction coils will probably ship to stores later this year. C. Most low-power devices like electric toothbrushes already have wireless charging. D. When wireless charging becomes compatible with today’s mobile devices, they will be environmentally friendly.

7. PART A: How does the author’s use of the word “bleed” in paragraph 1 impact the [RI.4] meaning of the sentence? A. It describes the last step in the trash cycle. B. It informs the reader of the results of letting so much trash pile up in landfills. C. It provokes a sense of danger and urgency in the reader to stop the practice of discarding battery chargers in landfills. D. It suggests to the reader that wireless charging is a better alternative to the current technology of using rechargeable batteries.

8. PART B: Which synonym would best maintain the tone and meaning of the paragraph [RI.4] if substituted for “bleed” in the sentence? A. flow B. leak C. stain D. weep

9. PART A: Which sentence from paragraph 1 best states a central idea of the article? [RI.1] A. “Rechargeable batteries were supposed to keep trash out of landfills.” B. “Consumers throw away billions of battery chargers every year; cellphone chargers alone account for almost 100,000 tons of trash annually.” C. “That cycle is about to end.” D. “Wireless charging will soon be compatible with many of today’s mobile devices, providing a universal, more eco-friendly way to power up.”

4 10. PART B: What additional information would help readers understand the need for [RI.3] solutions to the problems associated with the disposal of rechargeable batteries? A. how to recycle the trash that is generated by rechargeable devices B. details of the experiments conducted by Nikola Tesla C. reasons why charging stations are becoming easier to find D. an explanation about how the Qi standard was developed

5 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Do you think there could be any disadvantages to wireless charging? If so, what could they be?

2. Since 2012, when this article was published, how have you seen charging technology change? Has it changed as the author predicted? Why or why not?

3. In the context of the text, why do people resist change? Why do you think society has been slow to adapt to wireless charging? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

4. In the context of the text, what should the future look like? What effect does the author hope wireless charging will have on the future?

5. In the context of the text, how the does the article explore the costs and benefits of technology? Do you think new technology can reverse the damage done by past technology? Why or why not? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

6 Name: Class:

Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction By Shelby Ostergaard 2017

Dystopian stories are commonplace in our society today. In this informational text, Shelby Ostergaard discusses the characteristics of dystopian fiction and how the genre comments on society. As you read, take notes on themes commonly found in dystopian fiction.

[1] Walking through carnivals, we love to laugh at the versions of ourselves that appear in the funhouse mirror. We delight in taking selfies with filters that artificially bulge out our noses or shrink our mouths. But sometimes these distortions1 take on a deeper meaning and force us to notice things about ourselves. You don’t notice that your nose is a little large until you take a picture with that filter and compare. The version of yourself in the mirror shows you things about yourself.

Dystopias are usually constructed through this "One Nation Under CCTV" by Tom Blackwell is licensed under CC type of magnification. But the subject matter BY-NC 2.0. goes far deeper than noses and lips. Authors take troubling aspects of their own society and imagine a world where they are taken to the extreme. The 21st century tendency to over-document through the use of technology becomes a compulsion2 acted out through a literal recording of our memories. An invasive state becomes one that criminalizes thoughts. A love of reality television and a saturation3 of violence becomes a society where teens are forced to fight to the death for entertainment. Because of how they are constructed, dystopias are often seen as a desperate warning sign. The truth is, dystopian fiction presents a funhouse mirror of our collective selves. It forces the audience to stare, transfixed,4 at the small flaws which, in the mirror, have become pronounced enough to produce a monster.

HISTORY OF DYSTOPIAS

The term dystopia stems from another word: utopia. The English word utopia comes from the Greek “ou-” (οὐ) meaning “not” and “topos” (τόπος) meaning “place.” It translates literally to ‘no place’, or nowhere. Thomas More coined the term in 1516 when he published a book that described a perfect fictional island society. He titled the book Utopia to emphasize that he was describing a made-up place that he considered perfect. The perfection that More, and other philosophers who wrote about utopias, imagined was never intended to be real. Philosophers from More to Plato understood that the perfection they wrote about did not exist in reality, it was ‘no place.’

1. Distort (verb): to twist something out of its original shape, form, or meaning 2. Compulsion (noun): an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way 3. Saturate (verb): to fill up completely with something 4. Transfix (verb): to make someone motionless with awe or terror 1 If you think of dystopian literature as holding up a funhouse mirror to society, you can also think of utopian literature as retouching a photo of society. The overly perfected image is less concerned with reality than with showing us an unobtainable perfection.

[5] But, by the 1900s, for the first time in human history, perfection like that seemed possible for society. Technological advances had spurred on the industrial revolution. Philosophers and politicians saw this automation5 and, for the first time, a vision of a world without difficult, toiling, physical labor seemed not only possible, but likely. Economic theories envisioned a world without staggering class inequality or crippling poverty. At the turn of the century, the predominant view was that humanity constantly progressed. History was seen as one long forward march that would lead, inevitably, to perfection. However, throughout the 1900s, no matter how much humanity progressed, perfection was never achieved. The promises of technology and sociopolitical6 theory only resulted in war, poverty, famine, and chaos.

As the century progressed, authors began to question the idea that societies should be attempting perfection at all by writing dystopian fiction. Dystopia stems from two Greek words that translate to ‘bad place.’ It describes a fictional setting that the author finds horrifying. But, unlike other genres, dystopias prod the audience into examining contemporary political and social structures. Dystopian authors argued that the pursuit of perfection will inevitably lead not to ‘no place’ but to a ‘bad place’, because of flaws within the system. And they made it their business to use fiction to hold up funhouse mirrors to magnify those flaws and force discussion about them.

COMMON THEMES AND STYLISTIC CHOICES

Since two of the most famous dystopian novels, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World, first gripped the world, their themes have been successfully reproduced in other wildly successful dystopias, like The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games. The success of TV shows like Black Mirror and video games like BioShock reflect our continued fascination with the worst paths our society could take. Both famous and lesser known dystopian works of art have common themes and stylistic choices.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is arguably the best known dystopian novel. It was written in 1949 as a description of what the year 1984 could look like if totalitarianism7 were allowed to continue. Orwell describes a province of Oceania (formerly known as Great Britain) as an industrialized wasteland, dirty and rigidly controlled by a political regime known as the Party. He magnifies disturbing trends he saw in his own time, like surveillance,8 government control, and industrialization9 to show how negative they were. Despite the promise that people in his own time saw, Orwell pointed out the flaws these ideas had. Nineteen Eighty-Four, and other dystopias that examine surveillance, magnify how people act differently when someone is watching. As technology allows for the constant possibility that someone might always be watching you — whether it’s the government, your friends, or your family — and that you might act differently in response to this. If it is possible to be under surveillance at any time, people act as if they are always under surveillance. Dystopias often magnify this idea to show how surveillance erodes freedom.

5. the use of machines and automatic equipment in a production process 6. Sociopolitical (adjective): relating to the combination or interaction of social and political factors 7. absolute and total control by the state 8. Surveillance (noun): the careful and continuous watching of a person or group 9. Industrialization (noun): the process by which the economy of a region shifts away from agriculture and toward manufacturing 2 Another common theme in dystopian fiction revolves around the downside of human intervention in health and genetics. Throughout the entirety of history, humans have suffered from illness and poor health. Sometimes this occurs in huge bursts, such as the Spanish Influenza in 1918, which killed more people than WWI. More often it is a simple result of aging. However, scientists now believe that the first person who will live to 150 has already been born and that the eradication10 of diseases like cancer and influenza are within our reach. In addition, genetic research offers the possibility of eliminating killers like heart disease and chronic diseases like asthma. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and the 1997 movie Gattaca explore the possibilities of this type of progress. Both examine themes around what happens to humanity when too many natural obstacles are removed, or when genetic engineering can eliminate flaws. Brave New World, and other dystopias that examine health and genetics, magnify what happens when humans don’t face natural problems and when differences in genetics are treated as differences in destiny.

[10] Dystopian literature also often chooses to magnify the perils11 of misinformation. Characters in dystopias are often told incorrect information about history by their governments or their society. For example, most of the characters in The Hunger Games have an incorrect understanding of what life in the other Districts is like. Characters in dystopias are often given incorrect information and isolated from anyone they could confirm or discuss the information with. People in our world are also often given poor information and are too isolated to investigate the information. Dystopian literature highlights why this is a problem. Because of the information they are given, characters in dystopias act differently. They can be convinced to hate people they have things in common with or to be happy with the meager life they have because they are convinced it is far better than what existed in the past. In dystopian literature, misinformation helps to keep inefficient and unfair systems in place because characters are convinced that they are efficient and fair.

A final theme in dystopian literature is lack of individuality. One of the most striking images from The Handmaid’s Tale is the dress code. Women are forced to wear outfits that correspond to their social status, and no one is given any choice. In some dystopias, the lack of choice is enforced by the government. In others, it is enforced by friends and social codes or enforced through a corporation, like in the 2008 movie Wall-E. Authors of dystopias who imagine a world without individuality are concerned with the idea that the wisdom of the crowd can stifle the wisdom of the individual. Authors often choose to magnify this trait by emphasizing lack of choice in simple items, like clothing, food, or toothpaste. This showcases lack of choice and individuality in larger areas, like family structure or careers.

Dystopias tend to have common themes and styles because they reflect the society that we live in. Surveillance is frequently a theme in dystopian literature because we are continually worried about it. The dark side of too much health and genetics research is a common theme because technology furthers the possibilities of genetics and health research every day. Misinformation, totalitarianism, and lack of individuality are all problems that exist in the world that authors are writing in. Dystopias are the dark side of our dreams. There are common themes and stylistic choices because all of the distorted mirrors that authors are holding up are trying to show us the same things. They are trying to give us the same warnings — what the world might look like if we take our quest for perfection too far.

“Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction” by Shelby Ostergaard. Copyright © 2017 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

10. Eradicate (verb): to remove or destroy completely 11. Peril (noun): serious and immediate danger 3 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following identifies the author’s main claim in the text? A. Dystopian fiction exaggerates existing problems in our reality to show readers what could happen if society continues down a certain path. B. Both utopian and dystopian fiction are used to warn readers about the risks of attempting to alter a society in any way. C. While dystopian fiction is entertaining to read, it doesn’t reflect realistic concerns with our current society, or a possible future society. D. Both Utopian and dystopian fiction are used to distort reality to the point in which it is no longer recognizable or realistic.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. “Walking through carnivals, we love to laugh at the versions of ourselves that appear in the funhouse mirror.” (Paragraph 1) B. “The perfection that More, and other philosophers who wrote about utopias, imagined was never intended to be real.” (Paragraph 3) C. “Dystopian authors argued that the pursuit of perfection will inevitably lead not to ‘no place’ but to a ‘bad place’, because of flaws within the system.” (Paragraph 6) D. “Women are forced to wear outfits that correspond to their class, and no one is given any choice. In some dystopias, the lack of choice is enforced by the government.” (Paragraph 11)

3. How does the author’s discussion of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four contribute to the text (Paragraph 8)? A. It proves how unrealistically dystopian fiction portrays social and political issues. B. It gives examples of how dystopian fiction is based on what the author observed in reality. C. It shows how our society can avoid becoming the world depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four. D. It stresses how inevitable it is for our society to become the society depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

4 4. How does the description of the 1900s in paragraphs 5-6 help us understand the qualities of dystopian literature?

5. How does the author use the analogy of “funhouse mirrors” to help readers understand dystopian fiction?

5 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Have you ever read a dystopian novel, or seen a dystopian film? What about the book or film made it a form of dystopian fiction? How did it affect you and your perception of society?

2. In the context of this text, how does dystopian fiction present the power of fear? How could dystopian or utopian fiction be used to manipulate readers?

3. In the context of the text, what will the future look like? Are either dystopian or utopian texts realistic possibilities for the future? Why or why not?

4. In the context of the text, what are the costs and benefits of technology? Why do you think dystopian fiction focuses on the costs of technology? Do the costs of technology outweigh the benefits?

5. In the context of the text, can we control our fate? Do you think authors of dystopian fiction believe that their writing has the ability to change the course of human progress? How does dystopian fiction impact the future?

6

8th Grade ELA

Literature Assignments

Act 4 Constructed Response Questions – Record your answers on loose-leaf using complete sentences. 1. How have Oberon’s feelings changed? 2. In what way does Theseus put an end to the conflict Egeus introduced at the play’s beginning? 3. Does the outcome of the lovers’ situation increase or resolve the effects (e.g., humor, surprise, suspense) of the dramatic irony in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? 4. From your point-of-view as an audience member, was the outcome of the lovers’ situation satisfactory? 5. Explain whether Bottom deserves the other artisans’ high opinion of him. Predict what you think the craftsmen’s play will be like.

Act 4 Discussion Questions – Take notes on loose-leaf in preparation for Tuesday’s virtual lesson discussion. 1. In what ways are the four young Athenians’ perceptions altered when they awaken? Explain what questions about dreams and reality their experiences raise, and compare these characters’ reactions as they wake to Bottom’s reaction. 2. Most comedies progress from order to disorder and back to order again. Explain whether this pattern is followed in each of the following elements of the play: in the natural world, in the fairies’ world, in the romantic world of the four young Athenians, in the relationship between father and daughter, and in the political world of Athens. 3. How well does the title of the play fit its storyline? What other possible titles could Shakespeare have used, and what would be the effect on the play if alternate titles had been used?

Act 5 Constructed Response Questions – Record your answers on loose-leaf using complete sentences. 1. According to Theseus, by what are lunatics, lovers, and poets misled? In what way are these three classes of people similar? 2. Compare Theseus’s and Hippolyta’s opinion of the four lovers’ story. 3. Explain what Theseus’s attitude toward the craftsmen’s play reveals about him as a ruler. 4. In what way are the story line and subject matter of the play within the play related to what has occurred in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? 5. What do you think about the nobles’ behavior during the play? What does their behavior reveal about the nobles as characters?

Act 5 Discussion Questions – Take notes on loose-leaf in preparation for Tuesday’s virtual lesson discussion. 1. What was your opinion of the Mechanicals’ play? How does your opinion compare to the assessment of the aristocratic audience who viewed it? 2. The nobles seem to have forgotten all about the world of the fairies by the play’s end. In what way do the fairies assert their importance to human life at the play’s end? Why might this blessing be especially significant if A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written and first performed for a courtly wedding? 3. A writer’s aim is the primary purpose that his or her work is meant to achieve. What is the aim of the final speech of the play? In what way does Puck continue Bottom’s work in lifting the illusion of the theater for the audience (reminding the audience that the whole play is, after all, just a play)?

Name: Class:

A Dream Within a Dream By Edgar Allen Poe 1849

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) was an American author, poet, and literary critic whose works are still widely read today. His lyric poem “A Dream Within a Dream” was written in the 1820s, but it was not published until shortly before his death. In this poem, the narrator contemplates his life and his past. As you read, take notes on what the speaker questions.

[1] Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow1 — You are not wrong, who deem2 [5] That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? [10] All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar "Song Lyrics" by Silke Remmery is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand [15] Grains of the golden sand — How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep — while I weep! O God! can I not grasp [20] Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?

"A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe (1849) is in the public domain.

1. Avow (verb): to assert or confess openly 2. Deem (verb): to judge or consider in a specific way 1 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which sentence best describes a theme of the poem? [RL.2] A. Our loved ones usually leave us. B. Nothing in life is permanent. C. It is important to hold on to your dreams. D. We cannot slow the passage of time.

2. PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. “Thus much let me avow — / You are not wrong, who deem” (Lines 3-4) B. “And I hold within my hand / Grains of the golden sand” (Lines 14-15) C. “Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep — while I weep!” (Lines 17-18) D. “O God! I cannot save / One from the pitiless wave” (Lines 21-22)

3. PART A: What is the meaning of the word “vision” as used in line 8? [RL.4] A. a spirit B. a dream C. the future D. a beautiful person

4. PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. “You are not wrong, who deem / That my days have been a dream” (Lines 4-5) B. “Yet if hope has flown away / In a night, or in a day” (Lines 6-7) C. “Is it therefore the less gone?” (Line 9) D. “All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream.” (Lines 10-11)

5. How does the division of the poem into two stanzas contribute to its meaning? [RL.5]

2 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the context of this poem, can we control our fate? What does the narrator in the poem think about his fate and life in general? Is this a valid perspective? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

2. Poe is not the first writer to compare life to “a dream within a dream.” What does this phrase mean, and what does this comparison reveal about the nature of existence? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

3 ALL SUMMER IN A DAY by Ray Bradbury

1954

8th GradeLexile: 780 Ray Bradbury is one of the most celebrated authors in literary history. He is best known for his novels Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2004. In this short story, children living on the planet Venus are told that an exciting event will happen soon.

[1]“Ready?” “Now?” “Soon.” “Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?” [5]“Look, look; see for yourself!” The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives. “It’s stopping, it’s stopping!” [10]“Yes, yes!” Margot stood apart from them, from these children who could never remember a time when there wasn’t rain and rain and rain. They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not recall. Sometimes, at night, she heard them stir, in remembrance, and she knew they were dreaming and remembering gold or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. She knew they thought they remembered a warmness, like a blushing in the face, in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands. But then they always awoke to the tatting drum, the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests, and their dreams were gone. All day yesterday they had read in class about the sun. About how like a lemon it was, and how hot. And they had written small stories or essays or poems about it. I think the sun is a flower That blooms for just one hour. [15]That was Margot’s poem, read in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the rain was falling outside. “Aw, you didn’t write that!” protested one of the boys. “I did,” said Margot, “I did.” “William!” said the teacher. But that was yesterday. Now the rain was slackening,1 and the children were crushed in the great thick windows. [20]“Where’s teacher?” “She’ll be back.” “She’d better hurry; we’ll miss it!” They turned on themselves, like a feverish2 wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge glass. [25]“What’re you looking at?” said William. Margot said nothing. “Speak when you’re spoken to.” He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was four in Ohio. And they, they had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it really was. But Margot remembered. “It’s like a penny,” she said once, eyes closed. [30]“No it’s not!” the children cried. “It’s like a fire,” she said, “in the stove.” “You’re lying, you don’t remember!” cried the children. But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the patterning windows. And once, a month ago, she had refused to shower in the school shower rooms, had clutched her hands to her ears and over her head, screaming the water mustn’t touch her head. So after that, dimly, dimly, she sensed it, she was different, and they knew her difference and kept away. There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future. [35]“Get away!” The boy gave her another push. “What’re you waiting for?” Then, for the first time, she turned and looked at him. And what she was waiting for was in her eyes. “Well, don’t wait around here!” cried the boy savagely. “You won’t see nothing!” Her lips moved. “Nothing!” he cried. “It was all a joke, wasn’t it?” He turned to the other children. “Nothing’s happening today. Is it?” [40]They all blinked at him and then, understanding, laughed and shook their heads. “Nothing, nothing!” “Oh, but,” Margot whispered, her eyes helpless. “But this is the day, the scientists predict, they say, they know, the sun...” “All a joke!” said the boy, and seized her roughly. “Hey, everyone, let’s put her in a closet before teacher comes!” “No,” said Margot, falling back. They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door. They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard her muffled cries. Then, smiling, they turned and went out and back down the tunnel, just as the teacher arrived. [45]“Ready, children?” She glanced at her watch. “Yes!” said everyone. “Are we all here?” “Yes!” The rain slackened still more. [50]They crowded to the huge door. The rain stopped. It was as if, in the midst of a film concerning an avalanche,3 a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic eruption, something had, first, gone wrong with the sound apparatus,4 thus muffling and finally cutting off all noise, all of the blasts and repercussions5 and thunders, and then, second, ripped the film from the projector and inserted in its place a peaceful tropical slide which did not move or tremor. The world ground to a standstill. The silence was so immense6 and unbelievable that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you had lost your hearing altogether. The children put their hands to their ears. They stood apart. The door slid back and the smell of the silent, waiting world came in to them. The sun came out. It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it was a blazing blue tile color. And the jungle burned with sunlight as the children, released from their spell, rushed out, yelling, into the springtime. [55]“Now, don’t go too far,” called the teacher after them. “You’ve only two hours, you know. You wouldn’t want to get caught out!” But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron; they were taking off their jackets and letting the sun burn their arms. “Oh, it’s better than the sunlamps, isn’t it?” “Much, much better!” They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously,7 even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopi,8 clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed, wavering,9 flowering this brief spring. [60]It was the color of rubber and ash, this jungle, from the many years without sun. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink, and it was the color of the moon. The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them, resilient10 and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces, they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and they breathed of the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to the silence which suspended them in a blessed sea of no sound and no motion. They looked at everything and savored11 everything. Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles. They ran for an hour and did not stop running. And then — In the midst of their running one of the girls wailed. [65]Everyone stopped. The girl, standing in the open, held out her hand. “Oh, look, look,” she said trembling. They came slowly to look at her opened palm. In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop. She began to cry, looking at it. [70]They glanced quietly at the sky. “Oh. Oh.” A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cool around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away. A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash. They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Then they closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and forever. [75]“Will it be seven more years?” “Yes. Seven.” Then one of them gave a little cry. “Margot!” “What?” [80]“She’s still in the closet where we locked her.” “Margot.” They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down. “Margot.” [85]One of the girls said, “Well...?” No one moved. “Go on,” whispered the girl. They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of cold rain. They turned through the doorway to the room in the sound of the storm and thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it. Behind the closet door was only silence. They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out. 1.RL.6 What do paragraphs 65-72 reveal about the kids’ point of view? A.. The kids are ready to return to the underground house. B.. The kids realize that the rain is less enjoyable than the sun. C. The kids are afraid of the dangerous weather that is approaching. D. The kids do not enjoy the rain, but they understand that it is important. 2.RL.2 A theme of this is story is that children are — A. happy when they are playing with their friends. B.cruel to people who are different. C.kind to those who need help. D.unwilling to admit a mistake.

3.RL.3 How does the constant rain on Venus affect the children in the story? A.The constant rain has made the children sensitive to sunlight. B.The constant rain has put the children in a bad mood and made them mean. C.Venus has changed the way humans think and the children have lost their imagination. D.The constant rain has made children doubtful that the sun will even appear. 4.RL.4 How does the phrase “They looked at everything and savored everything” in paragraph 61 contribute to the narrator’s tone? A.It creates a celebratory tone because the children feel freed by the appearance of the sun. B.It creates a light-hearted tone because the children do not believe the sun is really shining. C.It creates an intense tone because the children are focused on remembering the moment instead of enjoying it. D.It creates an urgent tone because the children are rushing since they know the rain will soon return. 5. RL.6 How and why does the children’s point of view change over the course of the story? What lesson or theme does this change convey? ______

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Margot moved from Earth to Venus. How can major changes in people’s lives affect their views and the way they think about the world? Discuss a time when you were influenced by a major change in your life.

2. Margot’s perspective is different from all of the other children’s perspectives. When have you expressed an opinion that your friends did not agree with? How did they respond to your unique way of thinking?

3.Why do people form opinions about unfamiliar people and places? How did the children form opinions about Margot based on her experiences? What are some prejudices you may have about unfamiliar people or places?

4. The children robbed Margot of a chance to experience the sun when they locked her in the closet. Were you ever prevented from having an amazing experience? If you could relive that moment, what would you do?