3 Celebration Of Grandfathers Unit

“A Celebration of Grandfathers” by Rudolfo A. Anaya, pp. 441-453 Name______Date______Writing About the Big Question The Big Question: Is knowledge the same as understanding? Big Question Vocabulary ambiguous clarify comprehend concept connection fact feeling information insight instinct interpret research senses/sensory sources statistics

A. Use one or more words from the list above to complete each sentence. 1. The narrator describes his deep ______to his grandfather. 2. In his essay, Anaya tries to ______his knowledge of his grandfather so that we can understand who he was. 3. Facts about people’s lives can ______our understanding of them. 4. Megan’s ______for her aunt had more to do with her understanding of her than with what she actually knew about the mysterious relative.

B. Follow the directions in responding to each item below. Use at least two BQ vocabulary words; circle each word as you use it. 1. List two facts you know about someone you like and care about. ______

2. Write two sentences telling how the facts you listed above help you understand that person. ______

C. “A Celebration of Grandfathers” explains how the author’s grandfather and people of his generation lived and what they valued. Complete the sentence below. Then, write a short paragraph in which you connect this experience to the Big Question. Use at least two BQ vocabulary words; circle each word as you use it. Knowing what people do and how they live can give insight into who they are because… ______

______

1 Grade 9, Unit 3 Grammar: Adjectives (p. 536)

An adjective is a word used to describe a noun or pronoun or to give a noun or pronoun a more specific meaning. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns by telling what kind, which one, how many, or how much. Sometimes a noun, pronoun, or verb may serve as an adjective. Adjective: the typical lodge (modifies lodge) Noun as Adjective: a rope tow (noun rope modifies tow) Pronoun as Adjective: carried her skis (pronoun her modifies skis) Verb as Adjective: children left in the lodge (past participle left modifies children) A prepositional phrase may function as an adjective: for example, “rows of picnic tables.”

A. DIRECTIONS: Read the following sentences from “Carry Your Own Skis” and “Libraries Face Sad Chapter.” Circle all the adjectives in each sentence. You can omit the adjectives a, an, and the, but do not forget to list any nouns, pronouns, and verbs used as adjectives. 1. Getting across the icy parking lot and back seemed a small price to pay for the potential of great fun.

2. Most days, skiing for me was about freezing rain and constantly trying to catch up to my older, faster, more talented siblings.

3. We passed into that library between two mock-Corinthian columns that gave the building a majestic aura.

4. Since those ancient nights around prehistoric campfires, we have needed myth. And heroes. And moral tales.

B. Writing Application: Write a brief paragraph describing your school or local library. Include specific details. Use at least five adjectives in your writing and circle each one. ______

2 Grammar: Adverbs (p. 562)

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs answer the questions Where? When? In what way? and To what extent? about the words they modify. You can often make descriptions more meaningful by using adverbs. Look at these examples: Modifying a Verb: The audience listened to the speech attentively. (Attentively modifies the verb listened.) Modifying an Adjective: Dr. King made an extremely eloquent speech. (Extremely modifies the adjective eloquent.) Modifying an Adverb: Dr. King used language very persuasively. (Very modifies the adverb persuasively.)

A. PRACTICE: Read the following passages from “I Have a Dream” and “First Inaugural Address.” Circle the adverb(s) in each sentence; on the line, write the word that each adverb modifies. Then, in parentheses, tell whether the word modified by each adverb is a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. 1. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. ______2. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. ______3. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. ______4. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. ______

B. WRITING APPLICATION: Write a brief paragraph focusing on a national issue that you think is important. Use at least three adverbs in your writing, and circle each adverb that you use. ______

3 Grade 9, Unit 3 Grammar: Direct Objects and Indirect Objects (p. 462)

A direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb. You can determine whether a word is a direct object by asking whom? or what? after an action verb. In her essay, Hansberry praises summer. [praises what?] Every morning, Rudolfo greeted his grandfather. [greeted whom?] An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that names the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. You can tell whether a word is the indirect object by finding the direct object and asking to / for whom? or to / for what? after the action verb. An indirect object always comes between the subject and the direct object, and it never appears in a sentence without a direct object. His grandfather gave Rudolfo some wise advice. [gave advice to whom?]

A. DIRECTIONS: Identify each direct object and indirect object in the sentences below by circling the objects in the sentence. Under each object, write D.O. for direct object and I.O. for indirect object. Note: Some sentences will have both a direct and an indirect object. 1. In her essay “On Summer,” Lorraine Hansberry tells several anecdotes.

______2. Hansberry’s observations offer us a subtle portrait of summer.

______3. Clearly, Rudolfo Anaya greatly admired his grandfather.

______4. Anaya’s grandfather offered the younger generation an inspiring model.

______

4 Grammar: Predicate Nominatives/Adjectives (p.488)

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that appears with a linking verb. (Linking verbs include become, grow, look, seem, and all forms of be.) A predicate nominative renames, identifies, or explains the subject of the sentence. In a sentence with a predicate nominative, the linking verb acts as an equal sign between the subject and the predicate nominative. They refer to the same person or thing. In the following examples, the subject is in boldface, the linking verb is in italics, and the predicate nominative is underlined. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. This is the problem with television news. A predicate adjective is an adjective that appears with a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence. In the following examples, the subject is in bold type, the linking verb is in italics, and the predicate adjective is underlined. The aircraft carrier seemed enormous. Through the pollutant haze, some colors looked muted.

A. DIRECTIONS: In each of the following sentences, circle the linking verb. Then, underline each predicate. Before each sentence write PN for nominative or PA for predicate adjective. 1. ______The television screen is smaller than life. 2. ______In the cinema, the situation is somewhat different. 3. ______But they are also symbols of a dominant theme of television news. 4. ______Another severe limitation on television is time. 5. ______I also became an instant believer in plate tectonics. 6. ______The Great Wall of China is not the only man-made object visible from space. 7. ______In space, night is very, very black. 8. ______Part of the fascination with space travel is the element of the unknown.

B. Writing Application: On the lines below, write a paragraph in which you describe either your favorite natural landscape or your favorite television show. In your paragraph, use at least two predicate nominatives and two predicate adjectives. Circle each one used. ______

5 Grade 9, Unit 3 Generate Prior Questions to Identify Main Idea and Details, (p. 441)

The main idea is the central message, insight, or opinion in a work of nonfiction. Supporting details are the pieces of evidence that a writer uses to prove the main idea. These details can include facts, statistics, quotations, or anecdotes. To identify the main idea and supporting details in a work, generate questions prior to reading. Before you read, you can ask yourself questions such as • Why did the author choose this title? • How might events in the author’s life influence his or her attitude toward the subject? As you read, look for details that answer those questions and point to the main idea.

A. DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions to guide your reading of “A Celebration of Grandfathers.” 1. Consider the connotations or associations of the word celebration in Rudolfo Anaya’s title. What expectations does this title create in you for the content and tone of the essay? ______

2. In the opening paragraph, Anaya uses a greeting in Spanish: “Buenos días le de Dios, abuelo.” (“God give you a good day, Grandfather.”) What does this greeting lead you to expect about the way in which elders were treated in the traditional culture in which Anaya grew up? ______

3. Anaya, who is considered the father of Chicano literature, has called himself “an oral storyteller” who now tells his tales “on the printed page.” What does this self-characterization lead you to expect about the structure and content of his essay? ______

B. DIRECTIONS: In an essay celebrating grandfathers, what kind of main idea might you expect? What sorts of supporting details might you find in such an essay? Support your answer with examples from your own experience or from your reading. ______

______

6 ______

Vocabulary Builder

Word List: p. 442 absurdity anguish nurturing permeate perplexes revival

A. DIRECTIONS: Revise each sentence so that the underlined vocabulary word is used logically. Be sure not to change the vocabulary word. 1. After solving the problem brilliantly, she sadly admits how much it still perplexes her.

______2. Because their explanation seemed so logical, we were struck by its absurdity.

______3. The rain managed to permeate even the stoutest foul-weather gear, so our clothes were dry.

______4. What anguish she felt when her doctor told her that her dog was cured.

______5. They were nurturing the young tree and hoped to have it cut down soon.

______6. Few people visited the small town after its revival.

______

B. WORD STUDY: The Latin root -viv- means “to live.” Answer each of these questions, using one of these words containing the root -viv-: vivid, survive, convivial, in a full sentence. 1. Why might a vivid description help you visualize a setting?

______2. Why would you rather spend time with convivial friends than with sad ones?

______3. If you survive a bad case of the flu, do you begin to have more energy?

______

7 Grade 9, Unit 3 Style (p. 441)

An author’s style is his or her unique way of writing. Style includes every feature of a writer’s use of language. Some elements that contribute to an author’s style are • Diction: the kinds of words the author uses. • Syntax: the way in which the author arranges words in sentences. • Tone: the author’s attitude toward his or her audience or subject. A writer’s diction and syntax might be described as formal or informal, technical or ordinary, sophisticated or down-to-earth. A writer’s tone might be described as serious or playful, friendly or distant, sympathetic or scathing.

DIRECTIONS: Consider the diction and syntax in the italicized passages from “A Celebration of Grandfathers” in the left-hand column. Then write notes or a sentence in the right-hand column to describe the tone produced by these features of Anaya’s style.

Passage Tone 1. The old ones had looked deep into the 1 web that connects all animate and . inanimate forms of life, and they recognized the great design of the creation. 2 2. Their faith shone in their eyes; it was in . the strength of their grip, in the creases time wove into their faces.

3. All this they passed on to the young, so 3 that a new generation would know what . they had known, so the string of life would not be broken. 4. After he had covered my wells with the 4 cool mud from the irrigation ditch, my . grandfather calmly said: “Know where you stand.” 5 5. He was a man; he died. Not in his valley, . but nevertheless cared for by his sons and daughters and flocks of grandchildren.

8 Learning from Our Elders: Extra Credit

Rudolfo Anaya shares with readers the stories his grandfather told about nature and aging. Anaya and his peers learned valuable life lessons from people much older than they were. Interview one older adult in your family or in your community. On the lines provided, write a set of questions that you can take to your interview. Ask your subject about his/her most important life experiences, what he/she enjoys most about the world, and whether he or she has any advice to offer young people today. You might want to contact a local retirement center where you might be able to arrange to spend time with local elderly people who are interested in being interviewed if you need to. The interview can be done in person, over the phone or via the computer. Be sure to take notes. Interview Questions/Notes: 1. ______2. ______3. ______4. ______5. ______

9 Grade 9, Unit 3 ______