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Engaging Lessons to Improve Comprehension

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Engaging Lessons to Improve Comprehension Close Reading with Paired Texts Level 4 Engaging Lessons to Improve Comprehension Authors Lori Oczkus, M.A. Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D. Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________BaseballÕs BeginningsDate: ________________________ Take a bat, a ball, a glove, and a warm summer day. Put them all together, and you’ve got the great game of baseball! Language Arts Texts But baseball hasn’t always existed. Who invented the game? Who wrote the rules? As far as we know, games with sticks, balls, and bases have been played for centuries. Baseball seems to have grown naturally from these games. It wasn’t invented by just one person. Many people think that it came from the two British games called rounders and cricket. As early as the 1700s, people were playing some form of these games. People today usually think that Abner Doubleday invented baseball. It’s no wonder. After Doubleday died, a man named Abner Graves claimed he saw Doubleday invent the game in 1839. He said that Doubleday made the first baseball diamond in a field in Cooperstown, New York. The trouble is that Doubleday was a cadet at West Point military academy in 1839. He was not in Cooperstown, and he didn’t have time for baseball. Also, Doubleday left many journals when he died. He doesn’t mention baseball in any of them. A 1911 encyclopedia article about Doubleday doesn’t mention baseball, either. A man named Alexander Cartwright is the one who probably did all the things Doubleday was given credit for. Of course, to be a real game that everyone can play in the same way wherever they go, there must be standard rules. In 1845, an amateur team in New York decided to write the rules of baseball. And that’s where the rest of baseball’s history begins. In 1842, a group called the New York Knickerbockers started getting together to play baseball. They were young professionals who liked to play the game. In 1845, they formed the Knickerbocker Baseball Club and decided to write the rules for baseball. Led by Daniel L. “Doc” Adams, they wrote down the rules. This allowed everyone who played baseball to play the game in the same way. 12 #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts © Shell Education Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ________________________ BaseballÕs Beginnings (cont.) Language Arts Texts The earliest rules for baseball included two teams of nine players each. They played on a baseball square with a base at each corner. The batter’s base was called home. Bats could be any size or shape. The batter was out with three strikes or if the hit ball was caught with one or no bounces. There were three outs for each side in an inning. Runners could be tagged or forced out. Each team got an equal number of turns at bat. The winning team was the first to score 21 aces, the original name for runs. Later, an umpire was named as the judge during play. Over time, the rules for baseball have changed a bit. Safety is very important, so officials study new bats, balls, and helmets to make sure they are safe. They also work hard to make the game fair to all players. The rules of baseball are still changing today! © Shell Education #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts 13 Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Casey at the Bat Language Arts Texts Adapted from a piece by Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that— We’d put up even more money now with Casey at the bat. But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of Casey’s getting to the bat. But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third. Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped— “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.” © Shell Education #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts 15 Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Casey at the Bat (cont.) The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. Language Arts Texts And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. 16 #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts © Shell Education Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ________________________ European Immigration Language Arts Texts Adapted from a piece by Debra J. Housel Life was rough for many people living in Europe during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The environment was overcrowded and poor; desperate people couldn’t find jobs. Some people were harassed because of their beliefs. Wars were ruining lives and land. So, millions of people left Europe. Many people sold all they owned to buy ship tickets. Then, they immigrated to the United States. About 27 million immigrants arrived in America between 1870 and 1916. Most came from Europe. These people thought that they would have better lives. This was not always the case. Immigrants came on ships to Ellis Island. It’s near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. There, people had to pass medical tests. Inspectors rejected those who were ill, insane, or had been in prison. Most people spent about four hours in the station. About two percent of the people were excluded. This meant that they could not enter the country. They had to get on ships and go back to where they came from. If a child was excluded, at least one parent had to leave, too. In this way, some families were split up. They sometimes never saw one another again. Starting a new life was hard. Most immigrants lived in tenements. Greedy landlords owned these run-down buildings. The buildings lacked fresh air and sunlight. Up to 32 families might be crammed into each building. About 4,000 immigrants lived on each city block. Finding work was easy. But, the pay was poor and the working conditions were horrible. Factory owners set up sweatshops. These dimly lit buildings had no windows. Sometimes, workers could not speak or use the bathroom. They were not given breaks. Most of the workers were women and children. But, they did not dare to complain. If they did not work, they had no money. They would go hungry. Many immigrants arrived without a cent. The sweatshop owners exploited them. Business owners paid male immigrants less than other workers. Female immigrants earned even less. Outside of the sweatshops, whole families worked in their apartments. They did piecework for pennies. Piecework included sewing seams or stitching small items together. The immigrants were paid for every piece they completed. They barely made enough to get by. © Shell Education #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts 21 Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________The New ColossusDate: ________________________ By Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, Language Arts Texts With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” 24 #51360—Close Reading with Paired Texts © Shell Education Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________ Name: _________________________________________________So Said BenDate: ________________________ Benjamin Franklin wrote his own epitaph when he was only 22 years old.
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